


Perfect Doesn't Need to be Perfect

by LycoRogue



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 12 Days of Christmas, Chat Noir has super bad luck with animals, Christmas, Finding the Perfect Gift, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Twelve Days of Chatmas, companion story, swapped POV story, swiping Taurus Pixie's muse, unofficial companion story, unofficial uncollaborated companion story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycoRogue/pseuds/LycoRogue
Summary: Chat Noir has run into a long streak of poor luck, all in an attempt to give Ladybug the perfect Christmas gift. Little does he know, his first try was already perfect in Ladybug's eyes. Now it's her turn to try to navigate around Chat Noir's failed attempts in her own pursuit to find something equally fantastic for him.**An unsanctioned, unofficial, Swapped POV companion story for 'Twelve Days of Chatmas' by TaurusPixie**
Comments: 73
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TaurusPixie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaurusPixie/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Twelve Days of Chatmas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28072950) by [TaurusPixie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaurusPixie/pseuds/TaurusPixie). 



> _**DISCLAIMER: This story contains major spoilers for Pixie's story. If you have not read her story yet, stop what you're doing, and go read_ Twelve Days of Chatmas _first. I promise you, it will be worth it for the hurt/comfort, and my story will still be here when you come back.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was rereading _Twelve Days of Chatmas_ this past Christmas, and began to wonder what Ladybug's side of the story looked like.
> 
> Well, 2020 had majorly sucked, and I could not find inspiration to save my life, it seems, so when I had that spark, I was so surprised I knew I had to run with it (apparently I'm now so void of original ideas I'm a fanfic writer of fanfiction...). So, a huge thank you to Pixie for unofficially lending me her muse for this project. Pixie, thank you so much for the glorious story that birthed this idea (and for writing most of the dialogue for me already XD ). Thank you for your encouragement all throughout 2020. Most importantly, thank you for helping me re-find my inspiration and drive to write, even if I need to use you to piggyback my way here. My sincerest hope is that you enjoy my interpretation of your fantastic story.
> 
> (Also, can we spare some thank yous to send my husband's way? He's the one who thought of the title for me. :D Ya know, because I apparently can't come up with anything new on my own this year...)

Ladybug paced the rooftop her and Chat Noir agreed upon as a meeting spot. They were supposed to go on patrol nearly ten minutes ago, and he was still nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like him to be late for patrol; for any sort of scheduled meet-up with her, actually. If anything, he was typically the one waiting, eager to spend as much time as possible together.

"It's getting close to Christmas," she reminded herself. "Maybe he's caught up in some family festivities or something. He's fine." She tried picturing him hanging up Christmas ornaments on a tree, which ended up a bit amusing since she could only picture him how she knew him: as Chat Noir. She imagined him perched on his extended stick so he could reach the top of the tree to place the star or secure the lights or sprinkle some tinsel on everything. Ladybug then had a nice little chuckle at the idea of Chat Noir just tossing tinsel like some overly enthusiastic flower girl.

"Yeah," she breathed out in assurance, "he's just covered in tinsel right now, or tangled up in lights, or freaking out his family as he juggles the Christmas ornaments or something. He's fine, just lost track of the time. That's all." She let out a shaky sigh and checked her yo-yo again.

No akuma alerts, so at least it seemed fine that their patrol was starting late, and Chat Noir wasn't caught up in a battle she didn't know about. Ladybug again walked the length of the roof, hoping maybe Chat Noir was just out of view of where she was waiting. Still nothing.

Another check of her yo-yo. No messages from Chat Noir either.

"Where are you?" she asked the wind.

The sun was nearly set. While Paris was typically lit up fairly brightly at night – especially with all the added illuminated Christmas decorations – and she could see well enough, it still bothered her that she no longer had the daylight for their patrol. Potential akuma victims could be hiding in the shadows, trying to find somewhere to be alone with their pain, and she'd have a much harder time finding them now. She really needed Chat Noir to help her, and he was over ten minutes late.

 _Where is he?_ _Did he forget?_ She opened her yo-yo once more. Still no messages from him. Her thumbs hovered over the touch screen as she debated sending him a text or calling him. With an audible sigh and drooping of her shoulders, she closed her yo-yo again. There was no point; he wouldn't be able to get the messages unless he was Chat Noir, and if he was powered up he should be coming to meet up with her.

"Please be okay." Her fingers gently brushed across her yo-yo, hoping for some sort of contact from her partner. Shaking the nerves loose, she paced the rooftop once more. "Five more minutes. Then I'll just patrol on my own. He's fine. He probably just forgot. Or he got caught up in something. Or-"

As she turned a corner she spotted him. Chat Noir stood on a rooftop across the street from where she was waiting. He was just staring at her with a goofy smile on his face. No. He wasn't staring at her, he was staring past her, as if he were lost in thought or something.

"Chat Noir?" She was getting worried and he was lazily daydreaming? Without so much as a text to let her know he was alright and on his way? How long had he been standing there?

Chat Noir jumped when Ladybug called out to him; ripped out of his reverie. He blinked a few times, clearly trying to catch his bearings as she walked to the back ledge of the roof she was on.

"I was starting to get worried. Where were you? What are you doing standing over there?" Before he could answer, Ladybug lassoed the chimney beside him with her yo-yo and swung herself over to him. As soon as she landed she rushed to Chat Noir to look him over to make sure he was alright. He didn't seem to be puppeted by an akumatized villain, but she wasn't sure how to be certain about that.

Chat Noir didn't answer her. He didn't move. He simply gulped as she stretched her body out to get a good look at his eyes. They weren't glazed over like they tend to be when he was being controlled. Ladybug couldn't figure out why he was acting so strange.

"Okay, now I'm really worried." She waved a hand in front of his face and watched as his eyes followed it. "You're never this quiet. Has something happened?"

"No!" Chat Noir snapped back to normal as he blurted out the first thing Ladybug heard from him all night. He gave her his goofy grin that he clearly thought looked suave. His eyes had their usual twinkle. He was fine, a bit distant at first, but now he was himself again.

Tension released from Ladybug's shoulders and neck, but her face still scrunched in confusion. Where was he just a moment ago, and why hadn't he tried to contact her?

"Then what's going on? Why were you so late?" As she asked the questions she wondered if he could even answer. If it was something that might reveal who he is would he withhold that info, or use this as an excuse to drop her hints?

 _No,_ she told herself, _he knows the rules. He may want us to know who the other is, but he wouldn't purposefully try to reveal himself or figure out who I am._

"I...errr..." He started scratching the back of his head as he broke eye contact.

 _It_ was _something personal, and I'm over here demanding to know! I'm such an idiot!_ Ladybug berated herself. As she opened her mouth to tell him to not worry about it, he preemptively cut her off.

"I-I got you a Christmas present." This was the most nervous she had seen Chat Noir. To know it was over him getting her a present was kind of adorable. "Well," he continued with a small squeak in his voice, "made you a Christmas present."

Ladybug took a step back as she finally noticed Chat Noir had been protectively cradling something in his hands. He shot it forward to show her his surprise.

He held out a tiny terra cotta pot barely five centimeters tall and fitted snugly with white foam. Sticking out of the foam was a charming, albeit clumsily cut out, card stock tree with curving branches. Almond-shaped leaves cut out of green construction paper and doused in green glitter filled out the tree in a fluffy circle arching around the trunk. It must have taken him hours to cut out and glue on the dozens of leaves, and Ladybug could picture the poor guy still finding the green glitter in his home for months to come with the amount he used. Plump looking pears were cut out of yellow-green construction paper and scattered throughout the tree. Perched atop the trunk, nestled within the main Y of the branches, was an adorably round bird made out of brown card stock with little gray accents colored in with marker. The smallest wooden clothespin Ladybug had ever seen was painted red and glued onto the bird for its beak. Clasped within the beak was an equally tiny note with _Ladybug_ delicately written across the front of it. The finishing touch, however, were the two dozen or so red valentine hearts – also cloaked in glitter; Chat Noir's poor table – hung throughout the pear tree sculpture like romantic Christmas ornaments.

There were bits where the glue was clumped and poking out from behind the leaves or hearts, and some of the hearts were cockeyed or stuck to the trunk instead of the leaves and branches; clearly they had shifted before the glue could dry and he hadn't noticed. The tree also leaned forward a bit from the weight of the clothespin and note not being counterbalanced. The whole thing was a bit unpolished, and a bit rushed in places, but it was also clear that so much time and dedication and effort was put into it. The little card stock tree was a bit goofy and clumsy, and maybe not the most well thought out, but it was also endearing in its imperfections. This project was just so _Chat Noir_ that Ladybug couldn't think of a more perfect present.

"Aww, Chat Noir, you didn't have to-"

A sharp winter wind startled them as it whipped past, tilting Ladybug slightly off balance with its force. The tree did not fair as well.

Chat Noir stared in shock, one eye twitching, as he held tight to the pot. The card stock tree was nearly ripped out of the foam; dangling by a small corner as the trunk itself, now terribly bent, leaned against the side of the pot. A good quarter of the leaves that weren't quite dry were either shifted out of place or blown off completely. Three of the pears were lost to the wind, and the rest were stuck to the trunk of the tree or the edge of the pot. Not a single heart ornament remained. The partridge now dangled upside down on one of the branches, with the note ripped where the wind tried to tear it from the faithful grip of the wooden beak. A long glue smear trailed behind the paper bird, and glitter was stripped from the leaves the partridge passed through.

All of that work, and one good gust wrecked it. Ladybug knew that pain all too well.

"Chat Noir, are-"

"And this wasn't it! This wasn't the present I got you." Chat Noir forced laughter and too broad of a smile as he took a step away from Ladybug. "As if I would get you something so horrible."

Ladybug's face fell into a little pout. It pained her that he thought so poorly of his gift. "Chat Noir, it's fi-"

"Next time I see you, I'll give you the present you deserve." Both of their eyes drifted to the damaged pear tree sculpture. "This was just a joke." Chat Noir gestured with the pot and then forced another laugh. "But I promise," he continued, taking a few more retreating steps, "that you shall have a Christmas present worthy of someone as amazing as you! You'll see!" He hastily placed the pot on the roof as he took his stick off his back. The second the pot was out of his hand, the stick extended to jettison Chat Noir into the sky.

"Chat Noir! Wait!" Ladybug rushed towards him, arm outstretched. "What about-"

He propellered his stick to glide a few houses down the street; definitely out of earshot. In a flash he was leaping across the Seine and was gone.

"-patrol," Ladybug finished with a sigh. It was probably too late to bother anyway. Plus, her heart wasn't really in it either, not after her partner was so crushed.

She bent down and gingerly picked up the little sculpture off the roof. Turning it slowly in her hands, she admired the craftsmanship Chat Noir had put into this immensely heartfelt gift. Picking at the partridge, the bird slid some more; the glue still hadn't set. She glanced in the direction that Chat Noir disappeared, and gave a little smile and knowing head shake. She delicately played more with the bird until she could wiggle it free of the sculpture. Placing the pot back on the rooftop, she opened up the magical pocket within her yo-yo, and placed the bird and note gently inside. Next were the pears and loose leaves. As she stood back up a few of the hearts caught her eye. She managed to collect five of them and put those in her yo-yo as well. Once she believed she had cleaned up as much of Chat Noir's project as she could find, she cradled the sculpture and started home.

She was determined to find a way to prove to Chat Noir how precious this present was to her. In the meantime, her mind whirled with gift ideas for him in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so real talk: I had every intension of having this story done and fully published by the 4th so I could promote it on my writing blog on the 5th, and have it all wrapped up in a beautiful Christmas bow for Pixie before the Christmas season ended. Heck, I originally planned on publishing each new chapter on the appropriate day of Christmas (well, technically, I originally wanted to have this done FOR Christmas as a nice surprise for Pixie, but ignore that...) starting with this chapter posting on Christmas day, chapter two on Boxing day, so on and so forth. Either way, at the latest, I wanted to just mass-publish the full 12-chapter story by the 5th, so that the story was concluded on the 12th day of Christmas. Given I still have chapters 9 through 12 to write? That clearly wasn't happening either. So I waved the white flag and figured I'd at least start you fine folks off with this story as I try to get my act together and finish this up this week.
> 
> Boy howdy, Life sure is doubling down this first week of 2021!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the start of this wild ride. It's going to get super bumpy for LadyNoir from here on out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss these early chapters. They were easy. They were small. They were still relatively light-hearted. Then chapter 5 happened and I've completely lost this project down an angsty rabbit hole. 0.o I'll try to get that sorted out in the next couple of days.

The little pear tree sculpture was worse off than Marinette gave it credit, but it wasn't completely irreparable. She had taken stock of the damage the night before, and made a point of picking up the necessary supplies after school. Now it was time to get to work.

Too much of the foam base was chipped away when the card stock truck was ripped out of it, so she started off with replacing that. Then she carefully bent the trunk back so it was flat. The bad bend left a scarring crease in the base of the trunk, bit it actually looked good. Most trees had some sort of scarring in their bark. Using tracing paper to make a pattern, Marinette cut out two slightly smaller versions of Chat Noir's trunk from more card stock. Doubling up her own tree trunks, she glued them to the back of Chat Noir's to reinforce it. Finally, she made it 3D by adding a support branch of roots off the back. Resting the tree on her desk, it stood perfectly straight on it's own; no foam required.

Confident it was now sturdy enough for the weight of the filled in branches, Marinette got to work on fixing everything else. Using a decorative hole punch, she created a small confetti pile of green almond-shaped leaves out of construction paper. She then laid them out on parchment paper, and sprayed them down with adhesive before taking a deep breath.

"He's lucky I like him." Through gritted teeth she started shaking the green glitter onto the sticky green leaves. She kept it as close to the project as she could, and she tried to stop once the leaves were properly coated without having too much excess. With any luck, she'd only find glitter for the next week or so.

As the leaves dried she got to work on reinforcing the partridge so its chubby little head wouldn't bend forward from the weight of the wooden beak and note.

_The note._ Forgetting what she was doing, Marinette gently pushed the clothespin open and released the torn note from the bird's grip. Folded over, the little note was barely larger than a postage stamp. Carefully opening it, Marinette was greeted by tiny but elegant writing; far fancier than she imagined Chat Noir's handwriting to be.

"Wishing the most amazing girl in the world the greatest of Christmases," Marinette read the note aloud to Tikki. It was signed with a little heart drawn with red ink, and a paw print colored in with green ink. Giggling a little to herself, Marinette tore off two small strips of tape and patched up the tear running through the center of the message. She then tore off one more piece of tape. Flipping through to the next blank page of her diary, she taped the note to the bottom corner. A smile stretched across her face as she rested her palm against Chat Noir's tiny Christmas card.

After taking a beat, she closed up her diary and locked it away in its box. Rolling her shoulders, Marinette got back to work on firming up the partridge and touching up the coloring Chat Noir had done on the bird.

She let all the components dry while she had dinner, but instantly went back to work once she was done. First up was carefully gluing the leaves into place. Her new ones weren't nearly as drenched in glitter, and the shade of glitter was slightly lighter, but the two-toned leaves added a nice dimension to the piece.

She took a homework break while the leaves dried completely, then it was back to work to add on the pears and – she couldn't believe she followed through with it – the heart decorations. She managed to tuck the corners of the pears and hearts between some of the leaves to add more depth to the tree and make the fruit and ornaments look like they were actually nestled inside the tree branches.

As she waited for the tree to dry one last time so she could add the bird back onto its perch, Marinette started up a list; instantly and a bit frustratingly crossing off each item the moment she wrote it down.

She needed to come up with the perfect gift for Chat Noir. He seemed so hurt about his present, and he had put so much pressure on himself to get her the perfect thing that she couldn't fall short in doing the same. He was more precious to her than he realized, and this was her chance to make sure he knew that. She was stumped on what to do though.

Scarves, hats, mittens, shirts, vests, necklaces, earrings, pins; everything Marinette came up with wouldn't work. She was a fashion designer; her default gift for everyone was a piece of clothing or an accessory. None of it was a good idea. Her silly kitty would most likely be too excited about her gifting him something to remember to not wear it as a civilian. Then she could possibly run into him, and see him wearing the gift she made for Chat Noir, and then she'd know his identity, and-

She shook her head to try to get out of the spiral. Even if he was disciplined enough to not wear anything she gifted him while in his civilian form, it wasn't like he could really wear any of it while powered up either. Which meant, either he had to wear it alone in his house and nowhere else, or he'd never use it. That wouldn't work at all.

_Blanket?_ Marinette tapped on the word, circling it a couple of times. That could be the best option for her. People rarely take blankets out of their rooms anyway, so he could use it without her seeing. Plus, it was always comforting to just curl up under a warm and semi-heavy blanket during chilly winter nights. Was it special enough for him, though? Would she have time to make him one? What design should she use for the blanket? Something not too obvious, in case he wanted to use the blanket in communal rooms in his home.

Looking out her window, Marinette knew she needed inspiration. It was time to go to her well.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Less than ten minutes later, Ladybug landed atop an apartment building just four blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. It wasn't the Trocadéro, but unfortunately the park was swarming with tourists this time of year, and she just needed some time to sit and think. It wasn't the same view that usually amazed her no matter how often she saw it, but the Seine still sparkled under the lights of Paris to her left, and the Eiffel Tower still spired before her on the other side of the river.

The sun was sinking below the horizon past the Eiffel Tower, and it cast a purple and deep magenta glow within the overcast sky. Curling up into a ball, Ladybug sat on the roof with her knees pressed against her chest and her chin resting between them. The lights running up the Eiffel Tower turned on in the twilight, and the whole of Paris joined suit. The yellows, blues, oranges, and Christmas reds and greens created a sea of lights below her. It was calming, welcoming, and inspiring.

Warmed by how serene her city looked, Ladybug uncurled. Dangling her legs over the ledge of the roof, she leaned back and admired the Eiffel Tower as it sliced through the cotton candy clouds.

_The clouds are kind of blanketing the sky. Could I make something that looks like Paris on a winter's night for Chat Noir?_ She hummed softly as she pondered how she'd be able to execute something like that. She really fell into the zone as she meditated to the arrhythmic clicking of her swinging feet gently tapping against the side of the building. She could do a gradient fabric, and a quilted stitch so there were pockets of fill to mimic clouds. She could even purposefully avoid a symmetric square quilted look, instead pocketing the fill within a quilt of cloud shapes.

A duet of cooing pulled her attention from her designing. The flapping of wings grew louder, and two pigeons flew straight for her. She flinched and leaned slightly out of the way as they buzzed past her, close enough for her to notice their orange turtle-shell patterned wings and brown-gray bodies. Whatever they were, they weren't regular pigeons. A moment later, she registered that both birds had something gripped within their toes. One was carrying a trio of red roses. Its partner had a handmade card wrinkling slightly in its grip.

_Homing pigeons?_ That didn't quite feel right to Ladybug either, but the duo seemed to be on a mission, so she mentally wished them save travels and hoped they found who they were looking for.

It seemed weird though. Even with Mr. Ramier in Paris, Ladybug didn't recall ever seeing anyone use homing pigeons before. She scanned the rooftops, trying to see who might have released the birds.

Nothing. There was no one on the rooftops nearby. No one on balconies. At first Ladybug was just curious as to who is using the skilled but archaic method of communication, especially with regards to sending what looked like a very romantic Christmas gift. However, after spying not a single soul in the area, it became an intriguing mystery she was itching to uncover.

She wandered her rooftop to try to get a better view, but there were still no clues anywhere. It was like the birds simply appeared. After a couple minutes, Ladybug decided that was a good enough explanation for her. They appeared from nowhere, and vanished to the horizon. They were an enigmatic package carrying a sweet gift for someone. A beautiful mystery of life not meant to be solved.

With a satisfied shrug, Ladybug headed back home, her head filled with fantasies of Adrien sending the pair of birds to her, and the card being a love letter. She giggled at the elation she'd feel if that were true, as well as the insanity of such a thing happening.

Imagine, Adrien Agreste sending Marinette Dupain-Cheng a pair of birds holding a Christmas gift and a declaration of love. A girl could dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As "easy" and "short" and "light-hearted" as I claimed this chapter was in the opening author's notes, it was actually real tricky for me. See, in Pixie's version, we only get to see Ladybug just before the birds (they were turtle doves, btw, in case you were wondering) fly past her on the roof. We don't know what she was doing before then, or why she was hanging out on a roof overlooking the Eiffel Tower, or what she ended up doing after the fly-by. (Although, I'm sure you listened to my disclaimer and therefore already knew all of that because you read Twelve Days of Chatmas before starting this story) There were a lot of pieces to figure out, which was a good bit of exercise in writing original content, but boy am I ever rusty!
> 
> Also, I'm sure homing pigeons are actually fairly popular in Paris (considering their popularity in NYC), but we never really see or hear mention of them in the show, so I'm going with in-universe canon is no one trains homing pigeons in the Miraculous version of Paris.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW: Minor descriptions of animal cruelty that Ladybug and Chat Noir must confront.**

* * *

"Miraculous Ladybug!" A bit exhausted, Ladybug tossed her Lucky Charm into the air. In a fireworks burst of magic, a swarm of enchanted ladybugs swept around the destroyed house on the outskirts of the city proper. In a few quick seconds, the house was restored to how it was before the akuma attack, although Ladybug wasn't sure it was much of an improvement.

The house was tiny, and they were cramped in the basement with cages upon cages of sickly looking Faverolles chickens. Their straw matted and filthy. Their cages too small for any of them to move. The lighting in the basement was dim. The chickens were so poorly cared for that most seemed to have lost a lot of their feathers, and some had wounds on their wings where they got caught in the cage bars as they shifted within their confines. Faverolles chickens were known for being delightfully plump and with fluffy white feathers topped with cinnamon-brown wings and head feathers. They were like lightly-toasted marshmallows normally. These tragic fowl, on the other hand, looked like under-stuffed plush animals dropped upside down in the mud.

Ladybug blinked back tears as she heard the chickens mournfully cooing in their cages. "This feels-" she struggled to choke down the knot in the back of her throat, "-wrong." She wanted to say 'evil'. She could stop the likes of Hawk Moth and his akuma, but injustices like what was happening to those birds? She felt helpless. Less then, actually. She was the one who imprisoned them a second time. Some times she wished her power didn't restore the damage an akuma caused. Some things were better destroyed.

Sometimes, the akumatized villains were right in their rage.

"Huh?" Chat Noir was lost in thought as he looked up from his right hand. The black miasma of his Cataclysm still circled around it. Ladybug's original plan of attack was derailed by the chickens running around, and they managed to break the akumatized item without Chat Noir's power this go. He had still activated it, however, and was probably wondering what to do, especially with how confined they were. It could be disastrous if he tripped on something when they were all practically breathing on each other.

"Using my lucky charm to fix this awful place," she explained to her partner as she looked for something he could harmlessly touch to use his power. "I mean, look at these poor chickens, I can understand where this man is coming from." She gestured to the animal rights activist that had been akumatized as Liberator; a man on the mission to free these poor birds and punish the owner who would be so cruel to a living creature.

She gave Chat Noir an unsure smile. He gave her an uneasy but still bright smile in response; a way to help reassure her that she made the right decision. It helped a little.

"Ladybug? Chat Noir?" The activist was coming around after his ordeal, a bit dazed and confused as he tried to remember what happened to him the last hour or so.

Forgetting her mission to find Chat Noir something to use his Cataclysm on – he was a big boy, he could find something himself – Ladybug knelt down to greet the activist at eye level.

"Are you okay?" Her heart broke a little as she asked the same question she tried asking all of the akuma victims. Nothing happening in that basement was okay, and it seemed unfair for anyone to say otherwise.

The man must have had a similar thought. He looked away and furled his eyebrows; a deep frown etched onto his face. "No. I know I should feel bad for what just happened, but honestly-" The man turned back towards Ladybug and stared straight into her eyes, "I don't. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but it's not fair for these chickens to be kept like this." He gestured towards the tight cages. "It's abuse, plain and simple. It's not fair that they spend most of their lives in cages. This farm is illegal. It's not run by proper farmers. These people just bought these chickens and shoved them in cages. This place is even worse than a proper battery farm." The man started to tear up and Ladybug saw his jaw clench. "But no one will listen to me. The police and the council don't seem to want to deal with it."

Ladybug closed her eyes, fighting back her desire to cheer the man on. A second later she maintained her normal heroic demeanor. "I know, but violence isn't the answer," she told him as calmly and evenly as she could muster, "It is a shame about the chickens, but I'm sure there are other ways you can help rather than attacking and getting aggressive with people."

"What other course was I left to take?" the activist demanded.

Ladybug strained the impulse to nod in agreement. The man truly was left with little other choice than rampaging against the illegal farm. Around them, as if cheering the man on in Ladybug's stead, the hens all clucked louder and louder. Some rattled their cages as much as they could. The sound quickly became unbearable. It was a reminder of what Ladybug did to them in an attempt to cleanse another akuma and save Paris.

Pushing the cacophony of clucking and cage rattling as far out of her head as possible, Ladybug suggested the activist set up a petition to pressure the mayor and police to investigate the grounds and let them shut down the illegal farm.

The man seemed skeptical, but open to hear her out. Then, behind Ladybug, Chat Noir let out a sarcastic chuckle, drawing their attention.

"Oh, come on, my lady, I thought you were more proactive than that." His lips curled into a mischievous smirk, and he gave Ladybug a playful wink. "Why bother with all of that when you have a chicken liberator right here?" He held up his right hand and wiggled a 'hello' with his fingers. A black aura encircled his hand still.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug knew she should stop him. This wasn't what their powers were supposed to be for; circumventing the law. It wasn't like they were using their powers for personal gain though, and that was the only true rule they were given. So she bit her tongue and let her partner do the saving this go.

Eyeing up the tight room for the best path, he stepped past Ladybug and the activist so he was standing in the doorway. Then, with a toothy grin, he sprinted around the cramped space, his fingers carefully racing along the cages where they connected. He didn't take his hand off the metal even once; doing so would have concluded his power's use. The only benefit of the poor chickens being cooped so tightly together was he managed to make the full circuit around the room without his fingers ever leaving the cages. A few seconds later the Cataclysm stretched through the metal bars; rusting every last cage until the excited hens could crumble their own prisons with their flapping wings.

The metal that once confined the birds was now black dust mounds on the floor, and the chickens aimlessly wandered the room; unsure what to do with themselves. All their excited flapping kicked up enough feathers though, that Chat Noir went through a mini sneezing fit as his reward for freeing them all.

Through puffy and water-lined eyes, Chat Noir proudly smiled at his handiwork. Crossing his arms over his chest, he heroically posed.

"Dude, thank you so much!" Clamoring to his feet, the activist sprinted to Chat Noir to engulf him in a tight hug. Catching the hero off guard, he did manage to knock some wind out of the teen.

With an awkward grin, Chat Noir patted the man on the back. Ladybug softly chuckled. In part it was because of how adorably uncomfortable but accepting of the affection that Chat Noir looked. In part it was being happy that the activist was so happy and grateful. In part it was because these chickens could possibly begin to have a good life. Finally, it was partially because the chickens' owner deserved to be punished, and freeing his fowl seemed a good start.

"I'm pretty sure you can give them decent homes," Chat Noir addressed the activist, who had finally released the teenage hero. "Because after what happened earlier, I'm pretty sure you scared the guy who runs this place away for good." Chat Noir laughed. "Besides, this place was illegal, so I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about him going to the police over you taking his chickens."

Ladybug blinked a couple of times. She didn't realize how rebellious Chat Noir could be. It was bending the rules, to be sure, and she was glad Nadja wasn't around to film any of this. She wished she could find a more legal solution, but Chat Noir was right. This would be their win, and she'd be satisfied with that.

"Oh, I will, don't worry!" The activist clasped Chat Noir on the shoulders and gave him a little excited shake before sprinting up the basement stairs. "I'll just go and get some back-up to help me evacuate the chickens. You're amazing, Chat Noir!"

Chat Noir beamed at the compliment, and didn't seem to notice Ladybug sliding next to him. She snaked her arm around his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Upon feeling the little hug, Chat Noir whipped his gaze down to his partner, his cheeks reddening under his mask and his lips parted in an adorable 'o'.

"That was a very nice thing you did." To accentuate her praise, Ladybug gave his arm another tiny squeeze.

"Yeah, well, I don't like to see innocent creatures suffering." Chat Noir puffed out his chest, placing his free hand on his hip in the hopes of looking impressive. Ladybug again giggled.

As if thanking Chat Noir for what he did, one of the hens clucked happily at his feet, making his nose twitch as he fought down another sneeze. The chicken ruffled her feathers and slowly lowered her backside as she squatted between Chat Noir's boots. A couple of seconds later, the hen cooed and stood up to wander some more, leaving an egg behind.

Smiling, Chat Noir picked it up before holding it out to Ladybug. "Here you go, my lady. The first free range egg from these chickens."

Ladybug chuckled at the gesture, her eyes twinkling at how adorable her partner could be sometimes. "I don't think that's quite how that works, silly kitty."

The two of them smiled at each other for a second before three hens surrounded them. The chickens puffed their chests and flapped their wings, making themselves as large as possible as they closed their semi-circle around the superheroes.

"Uh, Chat Noir?"

He tried to back away from the advancing hens, but was also winding up for a large sneeze from all the loosened feathers now floating around in the air. As if in slow-motion, Ladybug watched as he released a trumpeting sneeze, and lost his balance from the force. He caught himself quickly enough, but the egg went crashing to the ground and splattered against the cement floor. A second later, the three advancing hens leapt up onto him, clucking angrily.

"Hey! Get off!" Chat Noir tried to swat them off of him as gently as he could. Ladybug simply stared, a bit in shock that the chickens had enough spirit still left in them to go after Chat Noir like that. It was kind of a pleasant surprise.

"LB. Care to help?" Chat Noir squeaked in surprise as the hens kept taking turns leaping at him, causing him to sprint around the room in an attempt to retreat. His sneezing fits kept throwing him off just enough that the chickens could catch up and attack again.

"Hey, I freed you! I'm your friend; your savior!" Chat Noir cried out as he started for the stairs. The hens were determined to get him for whatever offense he had done to them, and chased him out of the basement.

Ladybug felt a little guilty about it, but she didn't help him with the chickens. She couldn't. She was laughing too hard. She knew he wouldn't be hurt by the fowl. Their super suits made them near invulnerable, and poor Chat Noir just looked too ridiculous running from chickens after all of the akumatized villains they had gone up against. The whole scene – a hoard of chickens attacking a blonde hero – also reminded her of one of her favorite video games.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir pleaded from upstairs.

Tears in her eyes, and sides hurting, Ladybug chased after her partner for the rescue. He had sprinted outside and climbed up a tree, shooing the chickens away as they leapt nearly four feet off the ground to try to get to him. Her kitty was literally stuck in a tree. She nearly burst into laughter all over again.

Taking a few centering breaths through her nose, she grabbed one of the baskets the owner had used for the harvested eggs and quickly scooped each chicken up from under the tree; herding them back into the house before scooping up the next one.

Once all three were safely locked into the house, Ladybug turned to let Chat Noir know it was safe to come down. He was already gone though. He must have escaped while she was rounding up the last hen. Climbing the tree herself, she sat on the branch he was trapped on and scanned for him.

He was long-gone. She felt even worse about laughing at his misfortune. He very rarely got a chance to feel like the prominent hero, and his big moment with freeing the chickens was instantly ruined by those he had saved. Ladybug wondered if that was somehow karma for using his power to release them in the first place when that wasn't what they were there to do.

"I don't think a blanket is a good enough gift," she muttered to herself. "I'll have to find something even more special for him for Christmas." The wheels again churned as she swung back home to start up a new list. Her gift had to be perfect for Chat Noir. She knew that much for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, see, THIS was an easy chapter to write; long, but easy. I mean, when the entire original chapter in Pixie's story is already fully Ladybug and Chat Noir, all I really needed to do was flip perspective and tag on the bit of Chat Noir being stuck in a tree in the front yard. So, uh, thanks again, Pixie, for the great content!
> 
> Also, we're only half way through Chat Noir's bad luck with birds (why so many fowl in the 12 Days of Christmas!?).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this three-course-meal of chapters. I'm planning on having the next three up later today. To all who celebrate, Merry Little Christmas/Russian Christmas/Epiphany/Three Kings Day (are there any holiday names I missed?).


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, peeps. I really dropped the ball there. I did have every intention to post as I had noted in previous chapters. Then- well... Then there was the terrorist attack on the US Capital building. I’m safe, and it didn’t directly affect anyone I know personally, but it still took a lot of my mental energy; as to be expected, I’m sure.
> 
> Then minor health problems popped up. I’m still battling an ear infection as I type. So I’m going to try to be a bit less ambitious and post only 2 new chapters tonight to try to give myself time to write those final 3 chapters. My new goal is to get this story done before the end of January. Silly to have a Christmas story last this long, but... well... welcome to Pandemic Life, I guess.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has already started following this story. You’re all so awesome.

Marinette paced through the swamp of crumpled paper carpeting her bedroom. A notebook was in her hand as she furiously wrote down more gift ideas for Chat Noir. None of those worked either. Another loud rip echoed through her room. Another paper frustratingly balled up. Another scratched out list joined the floor.

“What could I get him, Tikki? What could I make in time?”

“I liked the blanket idea,” Tikki chirped back. “You should have time to make it if you buy fabric instead of trying to dye some yourself or knitting it.”

“No. No that won't work.” Marinette tapped her bottom lip with the eraser of her pencil. “After what happened with Chat Noir yesterday – not using his Cataclysm in the battle, and then being chased by those chickens – he needs a better pick-me-up than a blanket. He needs to know how important he is to me as my partner, and how much I appreciate him.”

“So what are you thinking now?”

Marinette plopped onto her computer chair and rolled over to the corner of her desk. Nestled under her pictures of Adrien across her back wall was the repaired pear tree Chat Noir had given her. She brushed a finger against the plump little partridge, and then one of the heart ornaments.

“I don't know, Tikki, but it has to be perfect.” She scanned the carpet of paper strewn across her floor. “I'm not going to figure it out here.”

“Back to the Trocadéro?”

“No, it would still be swarmed with tourists. I just- All of Paris is done up for Christmas. Maybe I can think of something if I just take in the whole city. Tikki, spots on!”

Transformed, Ladybug climbed out onto her rooftop balcony and started an impromptu patrol. She hoped something would jump out at her.

Instead, something called out to her. Literally.

Her yo-yo beeped that she had a call. That could only be Chat Noir. Her heart raced. They didn't have a scheduled patrol that night, so why was he powered up? Did she miss an akuma attacking?

Skidding to a halt, she flipped her yo-yo to video-call mode. “Chat Noir?” she asked with a hint of panic, “What are you doing out and about?”

“Good evening, my lady.” He gave a little bow to the camera on his stick. He was safe, and seemed in good spirits as well. Ladybug's breathing evened out with relief. “I have a surprise for you. I'll send you my location.”

Ladybug blinked at her phone a couple of times. “A surprise? What do you mean?” He did say that he had intended on gifting her a replacement present after his pear tree sculpture got destroyed in the wind. Was it too late for her to tell him it wasn't needed?

“You'll see.” Chat Noir nearly purred his words as he wiggled his eyebrows and hung up. A couple seconds later Ladybug's yo-yo again beeped. Bringing up her GPS, she spotted a small green paw print blinking in a park about a half-mile away.

Sighing, Ladybug began her trek to meet up with her partner. This wasn't what she wanted to do with her time. She didn't want to get another gift _from_ him. She needed to figure out a gift _for_ him. She couldn't disappoint her kitty, though, so the rushed towards him.

Around her the sky dimmed and the city illuminated. Streetlamps and people's homes were lit up in a warm glow that helped Ladybug feel that holiday cheer in the air. The overcast sky was again painted with gorgeous purples with the dying sunlight. The city felt abuzz with citizens rushing to finish getting ready for Christmas, but also seemed quiet and calm with the winter chill settling in with the setting sun.

The park Chat Noir picked was practically deserted. There was a mother rushing her two small children home for a warm dinner. A couple cuddled close as they walked the serene tree-lined paths. A vendor was packing up his wares for the day. A musician packed up her instrument and gathered up the money she earned. Ladybug was impressed that even with the cold weather the musician's guitar case seemed well lined with euros. 

Scanning the area, she found her partner in a remote corner of the park. With a soft padding of her feet, she landed behind him, startling him slightly. He whipped around to greet her, his goofy wide grin plastered to his face. It instantly put her at ease, and made her smile back as she gave a little wave.

She paid careful attention to Chat Noir this time, and his hands were empty. There were no packages on the ground beside him either. As far as she could tell, they were alone. She thought this was his attempt to give her a new Christmas gift, but she couldn't find anything on him. Her face scrunched in confusion as she tried to figure out any other reasons he'd call her to the park like this.

“Can you tell me what's going on now?” Ladybug inched forward, still baffled by his call to her.

“Shhh.” He tapped a finger to his lips, then closed the gap between them. As she followed his instruction, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, confusing her further. This wasn't like Chat Noir.

Instead, Ladybug had a quick flash of Adrien wrapping his arm around a nervous Marinette as he playfully teased her for the photos of him in her room. Why did Chat Noir's gesture make her feel like that again?

Arm draped around Ladybug's shoulders, Chat Noir lead her a little further into the park, to a large cage with four blackbirds preening inside.

“We'll just let the birds do the talking,” he whispered by her ear.

“Wh-what?” She glanced up at Chat Noir, and he was excitedly biting his lower lip. 

Holding up his free hand, Chat Noir snapped his fingers.

Alarmed, all four birds screeched out a piercing high pitched note in chorus. Then they took turns arrhythmically calling out, creating an uneven but continuous note that scratched at her ears. Yelping at the sound, both Ladybug and Chat Noir covered their ears, but to no avail. The sound sliced through the muffling their hands made.

“Make it stop!” Ladybug retreated slightly, wincing at the nails-on-chalkboard-like screech of the blackbirds. 

Chat Noir frantically snapped. Nothing. He got closer and snapped again. It just riled up the birds further, and their pitch seemed to go up a note.

Above them, windows of the neighboring homes lit up as more and more people rushed to see what the ruckus was about. A few yelled for the birds to shut up. Each call made Chat Noir snap his fingers faster. Each snap made the birds get louder as they started also jumping around in their cage.

“Is this your surprise?” Ladybug yelled over the noise.

“Ummm...” Chat Noir blushed and winced at her words, then sheepishly looked back at the cage as he snapped some more.

Ladybug grabbed his hand to make him stop, shook her head no, then ran back towards the bird cage. It took some pained fiddling without her hands protecting her ears, but the clasp of the cage door soon unhooked.

“There. No more evil doing for you, little birds.” She flung the cage door open and took a step back.

No longer sensing danger, the birds instantly flew from their cage. The screeching also stopped as they instead chirped an energetic song to each other in a much more pleasing octave. 

Smiling at the happy birds, Ladybug waved goodbye and watched them soar past the nearby buildings. A few of the formerly agitated neighbors now oohed and aahed and applauded the small flock as they flew past singing sweetly.

“There. Much be-” Ladybug turned to see Chat Noir staring at his feet, his costume's cat ears drooping slightly against his dipped head. “Chat Noir?” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but before she could he shifted to take his stick off the lower part of his back.

“I- I've gotta go,” he mumbled, then extended his stick to vault himself onto the nearby rooftops.

“Chat Noir, wait!” Once more he was gone like a ninja in the growing night. All she had left was a large empty cage and a hundred questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent way too much time trying to research "distressed blackbird sounds" for this....


	5. Chapter 5

It was an exhausting day. It was a draining day. It was one of the worst days of Marinette's life. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest as she stared at her corkboard of Adrien pictures. Tears stung her eyes and a hot knot grew in her chest.

“Marinette?” Tikki drifted to her bearer. “Are you okay?”

“Who were they for?” Marinette choked down a sob.

“They?”

“The rings!” She squeezed her eyes shut and curled tighter around her pillow.

The day had started off typical enough. Marinette woke up late for school after a long night of figuring out her gift for Chat Noir. She was reprimanded by both her mother for sleeping in and Miss Bustier for sneaking into class after the tardy bell. She dealt with the normal harassment from Chloe and irritation over her classmates and teachers blindly listening to Lila's lies; everyone but Adrien, of course. Sweet, loyal, handsome, brilliant Adrien.

Marinette had spent so much of that week wondering what to do as a gift for Chat Noir, she didn't realize how little time she had left to pick out Adrien's gift. He was simple though, she had an entire trunk filled with gifts for him. She just needed to sort out which one she wanted to give him this year. It helped get her through the day to imagine the beaming smile on Adrien's face as he opened up her present. He may just fall in love with her then and there if she picked out the perfect one to give him next week. She fantasized about that during her walk home and through her homework, which, arguably, took longer to accomplish due to said daydreaming.

With her daily duties taken care of, she knelt by her trunk, opened it up, started pulling out various sweaters and hats and mittens, and then her phone buzzed. An akuma was attacking the west end of Paris. Grumbling about the interruption, Marinette quickly transformed and headed towards the Champs-Élysées. 

She heard the screaming first, and then had to quickly dodge a car flung through the air. Adjusting her trajectory, Ladybug swung so she was on a roof behind the akumatized villain. It was a hulking man nearly four meters tall. He was covered head to toe in green fur, and his upper body was built like a barrel of muscle. Shreds of a Victorian-era caroling costume hung off his shoulders and his pants were ripped where his legs clearly grew upon getting his powers. 

“No Christmas!” the villain yelled as he stripped lights from a nearby storefront, and used them as a whip to lasso a decorated tree. With a big yank, he pulled the spruce from the ground, and he hurled it towards a crowd of shoppers trying to escape. 

Ladybug sprung into action and lassoed the tree herself, swinging it away from the civilians and into a brick wall.

“Ladybug!” A chorus of people cheered as they pointed towards her. She quickly swung down to the sidewalk and shooed them away.

The green monster roared at her, picked up a plastic Santa statue, and hurled it at Ladybug. She easily blocked it with her yo-yo, then skirted behind the villain again. Sliding between his massive legs, she effortlessly tangled the villain up in her yo-yo and hurled him into an empty store. Slamming the door shut, she blocked it with one of the uprooted trees. 

“Hopefully that will slow you down for a minute.” She looked up and down the street for more shoppers evacuating. There was chaos. The streets were already flooded with Parisians out shopping for Christmas, but hoards of tourists were there too. It would certainly be a hard battle to keep everyone safe while the villain raged in such a crowded location. “Where are you, Chat Noir?” 

She checked her yo-yo, and once again there weren't any messages. She also didn't see him on her map. He wasn't powered up yet. She'd have to do the evacuation on her own. Sprinting up and down the street, she checked each storefront to make sure they were empty. Behind her, she heard the akuma roar again as he burst through the door. 

_That didn't last nearly as long as I would have hoped._ Ladybug silently cursed. She glanced past her shoulder and saw the monster again tearing lights off the storefronts and destroying every last Christmas decoration. He barely moved from the empty store he had crashed out of. _This could work,_ Ladybug thought. _If he's that distracted by all the decorations, he might stay up where it's evacuated. I just need to watch for-_ She ducked under another Christmas tree aimlessly thrown down the street.

She checked the next half-dozen stores from each side of the street. They were either already clear or the last citizens were just leaving as she reached them. 

Then she saw him.

Ladybug had caught up with the tail end of the escaping mob, and they stampeded past a blonde boy coming out of a jewelry store. As the crowd cleared the storefront, the boy was on his hands and knees, and looking quite distraught. Ladybug instantly recognized the swoop of his blonde locks, the slight rosy blush on his milky cheeks, and the blue knitted scarf wrapped around his neck.

“A-Adrien?” Ladybug swung across the street and landed beside him. She quickly glanced back to see how far away the villain was. They were safe, but she wasn't sure for how long. “A-are you alright?”

“L-Ladybug?” Adrien jumped a little as he noticed her beside him.

“Are you hurt?” He had been nearly trampled by that crowd, and he was on the ground now. She quickly circled him as she scanned for any injuries. Her cheeks warmed as she grew nervous that she wasn't able to protect him, and now he was hurt, and he'd hate her forever, and never consider her a hero again, and she'd forever lose her chance with him – not like she had a chance with him as _Ladybug_ anyway since he could never know who she was, but-

“N-no, I'm fine.”

She let out a long sigh and rested a hand on her chest to try to will her heart to calm down. “What are you doing here? You need to find somewhere safe right away. There's an akuma on the loose!”

“I-” His eyes dropped to his closed left hand, and then to the sidewalk. 

Ladybug's gaze followed Adrien's. There were four golden rings scattered on the ground in front of him. One had an emerald with three rubies in a tiny triangle on either side. Another had small diamonds encrusting one side, and onyx on the other in an almost yin-yang pattern where they met at the middle. A third had grains of garnet and emerald embedded in the band in an alternating pattern with obsidian in between each gemstone. The fourth ring had garnet and onyx lining the golden band in an almost ladybug-like pattern. The thought made her blush a little as she quickly scooped them up and passed them over to Adrien.

He opened his hand to accept the rings, and the one he was already holding had a large princess-cut ruby in the center, surrounded by a frame of emeralds. It must have been unbelievably expensive, and it almost looked like an engagement ring. Ladybug's cheeks burned a bit hotter, and her eyes stung slightly.

“What pretty rings.” She forced a small smile as she swallowed down the knot in her throat. _I wish they were for me._ She choked down another sob and forced her smile to grow as she handed the other four rings over. _This person must be very important to him to spend so much._

“Oh...” Adrien let the word hang in the thick air between them. “Yeah...” He wouldn't look her in the eyes as he pulled the hand filled with rings close to his chest.

“Anyway!” Ladybug refocused. It didn't matter who those rings were for. What mattered was that there was a rampaging akuma just up the street, and Adrien was still in danger. “You need to get somewhere safe. Chat Noir and I will handle this.”

“Yeah.” Adrien shifted awkwardly to his feet as he put the rings and their respective boxes back into the bag from the jeweler.

Giving Adrien one last smile, she sprinted towards the villain; hoping her love would be alright, and that Chat Noir would show up to help soon.

Her partner did indeed show up just as she reached the rampaging akuma, and they were able to stop him not long after. It was a hard battle though; both her and Chat Noir either dodged a lot of heavy things hurled at them, or were tossed around themselves. The suit protected Ladybug from injury, but it was still exhausting work. It didn't help that Chat Noir still didn't seem himself, but Ladybug had her own problems. She just didn't have the energy to try to talk to him about the birds from the night before, or the hens the day before that. They barely had the time left in their transformations anyway, so they had a halfhearted fist bump and went their separate ways.

The second Ladybug got home she dropped onto her bed in a flop, and grabbed hold of her pillow to muffle her sobs as her superhero costume vanished. 

“Marinette? Are you okay?” Tikki, weak but still filled with concern, drifted closer to her bearer.

Above Marinette the sky darkened, and below her the gifts to Adrien were forgotten across her floor. It wouldn't matter anyway. Nothing she'd give him could possibly turn his eye away from a woman he cared for so deeply he bought her five gorgeous and expensive looking rings. 

Marinette cried herself to sleep, and dreamt of standing outside a cathedral during Adrien's wedding to a mysterious faceless woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, that got way more angsty than I had intended! This story is starting to take a little bit of a dark turn. 0_0 I'm gonna try to bring it back to fluffiness in the next chapter. Sorry about that.
> 
> In the original story (as you're well aware because I'm sure you've listen to me and read _Twelve Days of Chatmas_ already), this chapter was largely just Adrien in the jewelry store, with only a small cameo from Ladybug as she helped Adrien pick up the rings. Which means I more-or-less had free rein on this... probably why the angst was able to creep in. >3< (Can't leave me (creatively) alone for 2 minutes; I swear)
> 
> Also, I had no clue what to do with the akuma, so I made some weird Scrooge/Grinch/Hulk hybrid thing. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. Went a bit longer than intended between updates again. Here's hoping a double-helping of chapters will again appease. :D

* * *

Marinette woke up drained from her long night envisioning who Adrien could have bought the rings for. She couldn't even look at her board of Adrien pictures when she woke up. She also took down the ones that lined the walls above her desk. She just couldn't stand seeing his smile at that moment; wondering who was making him smile like that.

"Marinette, are you sure you're not over-reacting?" Tikki awkwardly glanced at the stack of Adrien photos in Marinette's hand. "How do you know Adrien didn't buy those rings for each of his friends or for Nathalie? Do they have to have been bought for someone he was in love with?" Her voice suggested she already knew the answer.

"You don't buy your friends expensive jewelry like that." Marinette opened one of her drawers and threw the pictures inside before slamming the drawer back closed.

"Marinette-"

"Never mind, Tikki, I-" Marinette's eyes landed on the pear tree Chat Noir had made for her. She again ran her fingers over the little bird in the branches. "I need to figure out a gift for Chat Noir. I can't be thinking about Adrien right now."

She stormed to the presents she had delicately pulled from her trunk the day before, scooped them up, and dropped them back into their hiding place.

"So you're not going with the blanket idea after all?"

"Maybe some other time, but I think, after everything he's been through this week, he needs something better than just a blanket."

"I think he'd really appreciate the blanket, Marinette. It's the thought that counts, and I think the thought would really mean a lot to him."

Marinette shook her head and plopped onto her chaise lounge. "No. As far as he'll know, I just bought him a blanket. That won't be enough."

"You can't tell him that you made it?"

"I can't chance that. He knows Marinette, at least a little bit, and he knows that Marinette is a seamstress. What if he somehow pieces together that I'm Ladybug after Ladybug tells him she made a blanket for him?"

Marinette grabbed her throw pillow and pulled it over her face so she could scream in it. She was back at zero. She had already exhausted so many gift ideas, she wasn't sure she could think of an appropriate one for her partner in time. This Christmas was turning into a disaster.

"I know you'll think of something amazing, Marinette. Besides, I'm positive anything from you will make him happy."

"Thanks, Tikki."

Bundling up, Marinette climbed onto her balcony and just took in Paris as it spread out around her. The sky was again dark and heavy with clouds. The thin light of the rising sun barely cut through the fog that was rolling in off the Seine. The City of Lights was an oddly calming gray all around her.

The school made her think of Adrien, so she quickly turned her back to it, seeing instead the Place de Vosges. Frost had painted the grass an unblemished white, and accented the bare tree branches. The fountains were turned off so they wouldn't freeze. The carousel was the only bit of color in the entire park.

Marinette took in the peaceful quiet of the square and the sleepy Paris around it.

"That's it!" As Marinette's eyes drifted towards the southern entrance of the park they widened and she quickly turned towards Tikki. "I think I've figured out my gift! The artist that made the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue, Théo! Chat Noir made me his statue, so what if I try to commission Théo to make a small Chat Noir figurine? Chat Noir will know how much he means to me when I give it to him, he can pass it off as a fan just wanting a statuette of a superhero if he displays it, and I'll never see it on display, so it won't reveal who he is to me! This is perfect!"

"I knew you'd figure it out, Marinette!"

Marinette checked her phone. "I have about twenty minutes before Chat Noir and I do our Saturday morning patrol. It'll be close, but I should have enough time. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette gleefully became Ladybug and leapt onto the next roof as she began her sprint towards Théo's studio, hoping he'd be there.

"Hey, Bugaboo!"

Ladybug stumbled as she skidded to a halt on one of the rooftops. _What is he doing here? How am I going to get to Théo now?_

Chat Noir skidded to a stop beside her, clearly in full-sprint himself before he caught her attention.

"C-Chat Noir? What are you doing out and about?"

He gave a pleasant chuckle, clearly in much better spirits than he had been since the disaster with his pear tree statue. "I might ask you the same question."

They weren't supposed to meet up for another fifteen minutes, easily, and she normally could cross the whole of Paris in less time. There really wasn't any reason for her to already be powered up for their patrol meet-up.

She glanced towards Théo's studio, hoping to come up with an excuse to get away from Chat Noir and meet up with him at nine, as they planned.

"I-I had some stuff to do." It was a terrible answer, but she hoped he'd shoo her on her way.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." Chat Noir gave her a knowing smile. Did he figure out that she was trying to get a present from him? "But what you do have to do is put this on and come with me." His smile grew into a playful smirk as he pulled out a blindfold he had tucked under his belt.

"A blindfold?" Ladybug wasn't sure where he was going with this, or if she wanted to know. Plus, she still had to get to Théo to try to commission him.

Noticing her unease, Chat Noir softened and gave her a warmer, more welcoming smile. That "you trust me, right?" look.

"Don't worry, it'll all make sense soon." There was a slight plea to his voice. Ladybug knew she couldn't turn him down. He needed this. He needed her to trust him and literally follow him blindly.

"What are you up to?" She pursed her lips in an attempt to not smile herself. Chat Noir seemed so vulnerable at that moment, even when he was the one holding out the blindfold. He was actually kind of cute, and she knew she would follow him regardless.

Chat Noir gave the most campy, villainous laugh Ladybug had ever heard, and he mimed twirling a mustache. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise." He then took hold of Ladybug's wrist, and gently tugged her closer to him. When she relented, he twirled her around so he could tie the blindfold over her eyes.

"There isn't going to be any shrieking birds this time, is there?" Ladybug said it jokingly, but she also winced slightly at the memory of those piercing notes, and then winced again upon realizing how cruel that must have sounded to Chat Noir.

"No," Chat Noir gave a nervous laugh, "cat's honor."

Ladybug turned to face him, hoping he was still where his voice came from, and gave a soft nod. "How am I going to get wherever it is you want to take me-?" She squealed out the last word as she suddenly got scooped up into a bridal carry. Flailing around for some sort of purchase, she landed on Chat Noir's shoulders. She then moved to take off the blindfold in order to give him a proper scolding for not warning her. She got as far as tucking her thumb under the blindfold before she felt her legs rest on Chat Noir's knee, and his hand on top of hers.

"Trust me." There was that plead in his voice again. She did trust him. With her life. She knew full well that he'd never let her fall, and even if she did, he'd be there to catch her before she got hurt.

 _Even if she fell, he'd catch her before she got hurt._ The thought echoed in her mind, and she wasn't sure why it struck such a chord with her all of a sudden.

Shifting her focus back to the present, she slowly lowered her hand from the blindfold, completely relenting to her partner. He had done this before, quite a few times, actually, back when she had no powers to save her. If she could trust him as Marinette, how could she possibly not trust him as Ladybug?

He even held her the same way he did that night he showed her the rooftop picnic he had set up for Ladybug. She felt his warmth through the suit the same way; smelt his scent coming off his collar. He was gentle with her, just as he was with Marinette, his arms wrapping protectively around her. As she nestled onto his chest, she almost forgot she wasn't Marinette in his eyes.

He ran for quite some time. The sounds of Paris waking up and enjoying the chilled morning fell away behind them. Instead, she heard the bird chirps, dog barks, and cheerful children's laughter that made her suspect they were in the suburbs of Paris. Chat Noir ran less, and jumped a lot more. They were certainly not in the tightly packed city, and Ladybug's stomach hopped whenever Chat Noir did. She gripped him tighter, her head finding that nook where his shoulder and neck meet.

Another few minutes, and the sounds of a morning suburb also washed away. Ducks loudly honked at each other. There was loud rustling of Chat Noir landing in treetops. Birds loudly chirped out warnings about the cat-themed superhero leaping through their homes. Then there were cars buzzing below them before the sounds of nature returned. Ladybug was completely lost as to where they were going.

Finally, they reached their destination. Everything was soft and still. Birds sang in the distance, but almost too soft to hear. There was water nearby that gently splashed from something disturbing the surface. Ladybug could not place at all where Chat Noir had taken her.

It had been a few minutes since Chat Noir had scooped her up, so when he placed Ladybug back on her legs she was a touch wobbly for a couple seconds. He caught hold of her arms and helped steady her, but she still faceplanted straight into his chest. Bolting upright, she blushed at how clumsy she just was. She also couldn't help but picture Chat Noir as Adrien, catching her as Marinette, like he has done so many times before. Her blush deepened as she felt the heat leak to her ears.

She was Ladybug though. Right then she was a superhero. She got her bearing, rolled her shoulders, and regained her balance. A couple seconds later – probably after Chat Noir was convinced she was steady – she heard him walk around her, and then the blindfold slowly dropped so she could take in her surprise slowly.

Despite herself, she gasped. They were in a completely secluded park, or it may have been an actual forest clearing. She couldn't be entirely sure. Aside from the green surrounding the small lake to her right, the rest of the horizon was lined by trees. Wherever she looked, there was just a wall of trees hiding them from the rest of the world. Creeping up to the lake was a line of frosted weeping willows with limbs draping to the ground in thick crystallized curtains. Long reeds reached out from the lake, creating a fence as if fending the water from the encroaching trees. A fog was still surrounding the lake, leaving everything in a slight haze.

It was like a dream or a painting. It was one of the most beautiful things Ladybug had ever seen.

Smiling back at her, Chat Noir moved to one of the larger weeping willows, and shifted the boughs with little icicle chimes. Hidden against the tree's trunk was a large picnic blanket lined by candles, and a basket with a large flask in the center of the blanket. Ladybug wasn't sure how she felt about Chat Noir leaving lit candles alone on a blanket and hidden near a tree, but the gesture was sweet and the picnic was inviting and cozy.

"Chat-" Ladybug sighed. There was no other response. Everything was just so gorgeous she thought she could cry.

Chat Noir jogged back to her to take her hands. They each took one step towards the tree when they were startled by a loud hiss.

They turned towards the lake, and a very angry looking white goose briefly stood up in its nest, making it look as big as it could, before resettling onto her clutch of eggs.

"Oh!" Ladybug stared at the goose, who was staring her down as well. "Um, maybe we should-"

Ladybug and Chat Noir took a step back, but clearly not fast enough or far enough for the goose. She hissed again at them, and it almost made Ladybug chuckle at how much it sounded like an angry cat hissing. She nearly told Chat Noir to just start hissing back to show dominance.

Taking another small sidestep, Ladybug turned back towards Chat Noir. She smiled at him, trying to ignore the goose and instead focus on this beautiful picnic he had set out for them. He was fixated on the goose, however, and his eyes kept darting cautiously back to it.

Ladybug cupped Chat Noir's cheek and silently directed him to look only at her. Maybe ignoring the goose would let it know they weren't intending to disturb it.

"Aww, Chat Noir, you really didn't have to-"

The goose hissed again. Louder. _We moved away from you! What more do you want?_ Ladybug wanted to demand of the bird.

Chat Noir's attention was fully on the water fowl, and Ladybug turned to glare at it. However, her eyes instead drifted to the tall reeds shaking on either side of the nesting goose. Like a police squad, five more geese emerged from the lake and instantly joined in with hissing at the two superheroes.

The second the new geese joined in the chorus of hissing, Chat Noir darted behind Ladybug, using her as a shield as he peeked past her shoulder. Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at this superhero being so terrified by six harmless geese after they've combated far more dangerous akumatized villains time and time again. She couldn't even justify it as him trying to get away from his feather allergy since he certainly didn't hide behind her when they were fighting Mr. Pigeon, or the Liberator with the chickens earlier that week.

"It's okay, Kitty, they're just geese."

"More like devils with wings!" Chat Noir actually did hiss back at the birds as he began backing away and tugging Ladybug along with him.

"Devils with wings?" Ladybug laughed. "Seriously, Chat-"

One of the geese loudly honked a charge cry, and all five of the protecting geese lurched forward. They noisily honked and hissed, their wings flapping angrily in a shooing motion, as they chased after the teens.

Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt back to give the geese more berth. "Okay," Ladybug admitted with a shaky voice, "yeah, they are kinda scary."

One of the geese lunged for her ankle, causing Ladybug to scream as she pushed back against Chat Noir to avoid the bite. She didn't realize geese had teeth on their _tongues!_ Birds weren't supposed to have teeth at all, but on their tongue of all places?

Chat Noir screamed as well and pulled Ladybug tight as she moved away from the goose. They rushed further from the lake, never taking their eyes off the geese; hoping the fowl will believe they drove the superheroes far enough from the nesting mom and will give up their pursuit.

Instead, their retreat must have seemed even more threatening somehow, and the geese quickened their charge.

The loud scream from both Ladybug and Chat Noir echoed throughout the otherwise abandoned park, and the two sprinted as far away from the lake as they could, the geese relentlessly hunting them down. There was nothing for Ladybug to swing from. All of the weeping willow limbs were too weak to hold them.

"This way!" Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Ladybug's waist and extended his stick to vault them into the air and away from the secluded lake.

Ladybug's heart broke a little for Chat Noir. First he felt his sculpture for her wasn't good enough, and then the fiasco with the squawking birds, and now his picnic being ruined? Not to mention the hens. He truly did have poor luck with birds, didn't he?

 _He deserves the best gift ever._ Ladybug thought as she wrapped her arms around Chat Noir's neck, letting him lead them back to the city proper. _Something way better than a statuette._

Ladybug spent the rest of the morning pondering two things: what she could get Chat Noir that would at least be on par with all the effort he had been putting into his gift to her, and how anyone was going to get past the deranged geese to blow out the candles and pick up the picnic. She hoped both would be settled easily enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this, folks. Yesterday was my first day all week that I was supposed to have some free time, and I had every intension of publishing then. Ironically, instead of editing and publishing this chapter, I got engrossed in my game of _Untitled Goose Game._ Guess I just needed to get into the head of these geese...
> 
> Also, I know that Pixie's story had this chapter set at night. However, birds lay in the morning, and both frost and fog are more likely to happen hours after sunset and end just as the sun is coming up. Sooooo, I ended up tweaking the canon time of this scene. Other than that, I think it's still mostly in-tact from how she wrote this scene.


	7. Chapter 7

Ladybug closed out the next afternoon blindfolded again.

After their escape from the geese the day before, and their halfhearted patrol of the city, they parted ways with Chat Noir asking her to keep watch for a message from him.

"I'll make this right," he had said with a bow.

"Chat Noir, you really don't-"

"I do, and I will." He had puffed out his chest to make himself as tall and wide as possible. "I promise you. Just keep an eye out for a new message." He gave her hand a quick peck, and then off he went, grumbling deprecations to himself.

It was a bit ridiculous to periodically transform just to see if she had a new message from her partner, but she couldn't deny his request. The next morning, however, she debated keeping up the practice. She hadn't heard word from Chat Noir the rest of Saturday, and she wasn't sure Tikki would be thrilled with another day of useless transformations. Her kwami reassured her that it was fine, however, so, like clockwork, Marinette snuck off to become Ladybug every two hours.

During her noon transformation, Ladybug finally found a text from Chat Noir. He gave her directions to a park and asked her to meet him at four. She wasn't sure if he was doing the same thing – powering up just to see if he had messages – but she sent him back a text that she'd be there.

Now she was standing in the middle of a large park with the blindfold again wrapped around her head.

"You know, Kitty, you really don't have to keep doing all these things for me."

"Yes, I do." Chat Noir was more resolute than he was even the morning before. "Especially since your other surprises ended in disaster."

"Kitty..." Ladybug wanted to cry. While the blackbird surprise – whatever it was supposed to be – and the picnic didn't go swimmingly, neither of those were his fault. Entirely. The fact that he was kicking himself so firmly about those cut deep. His eyes were also a little puffy, and didn't have their normal shine to them. She could only imagine how much sleep he had lost over trying to come up with these surprises for her.

"This is all already too much. Your partridge in a pear tree was the most perfect gift you could give. You don't have to-"

She couldn't complete the thought. There was too much to fill in the blank. She didn't deserve any of this effort. She didn't deserve him putting so much work into these gifts. She didn't deserve such a sweetheart of a partner. It kept all her willpower – and the knowledge that the park was filled with citizens who could whip out their phone any minute – to not pull him into a hug and thank him for everything he had already done that week.

Lost in her own thoughts for a minute, she didn't realize right away that she didn't hear Chat Noir anymore.

"Chat Noir?"

"Huh?" he blurted in front of her, "What?"

"Are you okay?" she asked nervously, "You completely spaced out on me there." Maybe everything wore harder on him than she was giving credit.

"I'm _purr_ -fect, my lady." There was laughter in his voice, and he included one of his stupid cat puns. Ladybug released a small sigh of relief. "Nothing to worry about," Chat Noir continued.

"As I was trying to tell you before you zoned-out on me," Ladybug groped the air for Chat Noir to make sure he was paying attention this time. He grabbed hold of one of her wrists, and gave it a gentle squeeze to cue her that it was him and that he was still there. "I hope you're not putting too much pressure on yourself to come up with a gift for me, because I get the feeling that's what this has been all about. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but the first-"

"Don't worry, my lady," Chat Noir interrupted. She frowned. He wasn't getting it. "It's no trouble at all. Now," his voice perked up as he got giddy about his latest surprise, "follow me."

He slid his hand down her wrist and into her hand. With a small tug, he bid her forward. With another sigh – Ladybug knew they really needed to have this talk he was avoiding – she relented and let him lead her to this big surprise.

She trusted him completely to lead her safely through the crowd and around obstacles, so they were able to walk at a normal pace; as if she could see clearly. It still felt like an unbearably long walk through the park in silence. She had tried a couple more times to talk to Chat Noir about all of these surprises, but he kept brushing her off; telling her how much she was bound to love this latest gift. Eventually she heard Chat Noir's boots click on wood. There was also the sound of water sloshing. Ladybug wondered if he was trying the lakeside picnic again, but in an area populated enough that hopefully geese weren't roosting nearby.

"Chat?"

He let go of her hand, but then she felt him cupping her ears; muffling that sense as well.

"Chat Noir?" She nervously giggled. She had no clue what he was planning, but the fact that he was putting this much effort into her not finding out prematurely was adorable.

A couple minutes later his hand was back in hers, she heard the sound of what she hoped was his pocket zipper, and a gentleman thanking Chat Noir. There was another pause before the sloshing of the water around them got louder and Chat Noir walked her towards it.

"Trust me?" he purred in her ear.

She gave him the best side-eye she could, considering he couldn't see her eyes, and nodded. He scooped up her free hand and turned her slightly.

"Take a step back and down."

She did as she was told, and her footing instantly wobbled. She was climbing into a boat blindfolded. If she were Marinette in that moment she would have guaranteed capsizing. As it was, without the use of her eyes, she was unsteady. Chat Noir's grip tightened, anchoring her and helping her steady as she lowered her second foot into the boat. Ladybug heard him gasp as her weight shifted too much and the edge of the boat dipped before he was able to right her. With a plop, she was seated and safe. She then heard him hop in behind her and ask for a cast off.

Chat Noir rowed them out into the water. The rhythm of the oars cutting through the water was soothing, and Ladybug nearly drifted off; enjoying the peace of an uneventful boat ride. The sound of the public enjoying the park faded. There was the sound of other oars connecting with the water, but they were far enough away she wasn't sure she'd hear them if she wasn't powered up.

"Okay." Chat Noir pulled the oars into the boat and let them drift. There was the slight rustling of paper before Chat Noir cleared his throat. "You can take your blindfold off now."

Excited to see what all the secrecy was about, Ladybug removed the blindfold. They were alone in the middle of the lake. A few other boaters were drifting in the distance, and swimming a few meters out was a small flock of swans. Ladybug panicked briefly at the reminder of the geese, but these swans seemed so peaceful, and didn't appear to even notice their little boat floating by them. The water rippled with a faint orange glow from the evening sun hanging low in the sky. Once again, Chat Noir was able to show her such a picturesque moment, and she was in complete awe.

"Chat Noir." She let his name hang in the air as she tried to gather her thoughts. The best she could come up with was, "this is amazing!" She gripped the edge of the boat to balance herself as she looked around. The swans, still calm and almost dismissive of them, began circling their boat. It was like a scene from a fairy tale movie.

The swans wove an intricate but delicate ballet in the water as they circled the boat. Some ducked their long necks down in the water to look for food. Others stretched their necks out and ruffled their feathers in a shudder to shake off whatever itch they might have had. A couple preened their wings as they floated around. All seven swans shifted what they were doing, trading tasks between each of them. A couple of times one of the swans would swim up to another so they would circle the boat as a pair, their heads nuzzling each other's necks. The whole dance was hypnotizing.

Ladybug turned to Chat Noir to thank him, but his eyes were closed. She smiled at how peaceful he looked, knowing how much he had earned that rest. Then he started to list to his left.

"Chat Noir!"

His eyes snapped open, but he had already slumped too far and couldn't correct his weight fast enough. In a gasp, the boat capsized and they both were tossed into the lake. The shock of hitting the water jolted Ladybug out of the zen-like relaxation.

_Chat Noir had passed out!_ The thought sent another jolt through her. _Where is he? Is he alright?_ She wiped the water out of her eyes and whirled around to where he was thrown. He was there, equally in shock, and holding a piece of paper above his head. Relieved, she swam over to him.

"Ladybu-!" Chat Noir let out a heavy breath when he noticed her beside him.

"Chat Noir, are you okay? Did you just fall asleep?" This was getting insane. He was putting way too much on himself. He needed to take care of himself, not worry about a Christmas gift for her!

The flock of swans that had been circling them must have been startled by the capsized boat, because they had grouped together a few meters out and started honking. None of them were facing the teens, so Ladybug assumed the swans were more communicating with each other than yelling at them. Still, she kept a watchful eye while also trying to focus on Chat Noir. Which meant she didn't have any eyes left to keep track of the boat as it drifted away, leaving them stranded.

Ladybug noticed a bit too late, and she splashed around her as she flailed for anything to catch hold of it.

"No! No no no no. Wait!" Ladybug began swimming after the boat, only to hear a very loud and long honk trumpeted behind her. She swung around just in time to see one of the swans buzz by Chat Noir and pluck the piece of paper out of his hand before soaring off into the sky. The poor boy simply stared at his empty fingertips, dumbfounded.

With more trumpeting, the rest of the flock followed the one with the paper, zipping past Ladybug and Chat Noir. A few feathers fell into the water from their collective takeoff, making Chat Noir violently sneeze out of his shock.

"Chat Noir?" This was bad. He was already having a rough time with all of these birds lately, but now this? Stranded in a lake, whatever his planned gift to her was literally plucked from his hand, and now a sneezing fit?

As she inched closer to him she saw his jaw tense up and his shoulders and neck equally tighten. His eyes seemed puffer through the green cat-eye screen of his mask. He looked so defeated, and she couldn't bear it. Even if she didn't have to worry about Hawk Moth potentially akumatizing her partner, she couldn't handle him looking so down. She had to fix this somehow.

She found his hand under the water and gave it a squeeze. When she caught his gaze she gave him a smile she hoped would convey all the love she had for this boy.

_This is fine. You don't have to be sad. I loved the moment we had._ She was afraid he wouldn't listen to her again, so instead of saying any of that, she gave his hand a little tug.

"Come on," she splashed around a little bit as she pulled him behind her, trying to get him back into his usual playful mood. "Race you back to the shore!" She gave him a wink and shot off towards the shoreline.

She didn't hear him at first, and she wanted desperately to turn back around to make sure he was okay. She had hoped his competitive nature would shake him out of his funk, and she couldn't ease up so soon.

_Come on, Chat Noir. Catch up._

Then she heard it. Softly behind her, she heard Chat Noir laughing, and then the frantic splashing of him trying to overtake her. She was grateful she was already drenched. That way she didn't have to explain the tear stains down her cheeks later. Forcing a poker face, she flipped into a backstroke.

"Is that the best you've got, Kitty?" she playfully teased. "You'll never beat me that way!"

"Just wait, my lady!" His voice was perky again. It had worked. She just needed to find a way to get it in his head that she didn't need all of these theatrics. His first gift was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, thank the Lord! We're done with the birds! There are so many birds in this song! Poor Chat Noir. At least he doesn't have to worry about any more birds past this chapter.
> 
> I'm going to work hard to keep my promise to have this story done before February, but I honestly don't have much more of a game plan than that. Hope to see you fine folks again soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Sorry about poofing like that! I actually had this chapter done back on, like, January 24th or something. Except, at that point, I was so fixated on "Have to get the rest of this story done before February" that I didn't take the time to publish any of the chapters I had written.
> 
> Aaaaaand it still kept me an extra week into February to finish this story anyway. Whoops! To make up for it, I am publishing the remaining 5 chapters in succession today! Hope you enjoy the remainder of this story, and thank you for sticking with it.
> 
> (Also, fair warning, the chapters in the back half of this story are all about double what they have been thus far. Boy, did this story get away from me! 0_o)

Marinette was not looking forward to going to school. Normally it would be the highlight of her day: being able to stare at Adrien for nearly eight hours. After helping him pick up those rings, however? She knew she was going to spend the whole day wondering who he bought them for, and if she loved him back.

_Of course she does. Who wouldn't be in love with Adrien Agreste?_ Instantly Marinette thought of a handful of women: Alya, Mylène, Rose, Juleka, and probably Alix, given how much she teased Marinette about her crush. They didn't count though. Alya had Nino. Mylène had Ivan. Rose and Juleka had each other. Alix- well, Marinette wasn't entirely sure Alix felt that way about anyone. Marinette also crossed off Lila. Adrien knew how much of a liar she was, and how she liked to hurt people with those lies. There was no way he could ever be in love with her. She then prayed that she could cross Chloé off that list as well. Everyone else though? They were on her radar as potential gift recipients.

"Is it someone he models with? I don't remember seeing him posing with anyone our age." Marinette hurriedly flipped through her collection of Adrien photos, forgetting her pigtails with only the left side of her hair pulled back.

"Are you still fixated on those rings?" Tikki hovered in front of Marinette's face, hoping to block her manic search. "Marinette, I'm sure they are nothing to worry about. Please let it go. You can't do anything anyway. Marinette doesn't know about them. Remember?"

"But, Tikki-"

"You only have a couple more days before winter break. Why not enjoy the time you have with Adrien while you can? Forget about the rings. There's more important things to think about anyway."

"More important than who Adrien is in love with?"

"Have you figured out what you're getting for Chat Noir yet?"

That stopped Marinette cold. Tikki was right. There was nothing she could do about Adrien and the rings; nothing except wallow, that is. Chat Noir had been hurting for a long time though, and she needed to find a way to make it right.

"There's a Christmas market being set up tonight. Maybe I can find something for him there."

"Good. Focus on that today." Tikki held up Marinette's hair tie. She accepted it and finished getting ready for school. She could handle this.

* * *

She totally could not handle this! As hard as she tried, she couldn't get Adrien and his mystery woman out of her mind. She watched him any time he passed someone in the hall, trying to see if she saw a spark between them. She flipped through her phone for any modeling photos Adrien might have posed for with someone else their age; Lila was the only one she could find. She scribbled a list of potentials down the margin of her notebook. Kagami kept popping up at the top.

"Nino! How have I not seen this until now?" Alya screeched beside Marinette as they settled in after lunch. Marinette lazily rolled her head towards her best friend to see what the fuss was about.

Alya held Nino's phone and flipped through a series of photos far too quick for Marinette to believe she actually saw any of them. "How did I not get alerts for this? No tags? How does someone post pics and not add any tags? Are they a barbarian?" Alya then turned the phone to Marinette. "Can you believe this? Ladybug and Chat Noir climbing out of a park lake yesterday afternoon after apparently losing the boat they rented! I _have_ to get the scoop on this!"

Marinette took Nino's phone from Alya and scrolled through the photos. Someone managed to take them while the two swam to shore, then as they climbed out of the water, and embarrassingly explaining the boat mishap to the rental shop. There were even a couple pictures of the superhero duo going back to retrieve the rowboat. While Chat Noir seemed in high enough spirits in the photos, Marinette noticed his smile subtly falling the further into the day they went. Thinking back to it, Chat Noir's smile was soft but small by the time the two of them said goodnight.

Marinette didn't bother to look up as she handed Nino back his phone. Tikki was right. Her focus should have been on Chat Noir this whole time, and she was still obsessing over Adrien. She wrote a timetable in her head. Class, homework, dinner, and some chores. If her parents didn't ask her to help in the bakery, she could probably make it out by seven.

* * *

Ladybug flew through the air as she swung her way towards the Christmas market. She knew she should have stayed as Marinette to make the trek to the pop-up open-air market, but she needed as much time as she could get to try and find something for Chat Noir. Thankfully, she had been able to sneak off a lot easier lately with her parents busy in the bakery, but she wasn't sure how long even her luck would last. She figured she had, at most, until her parents went to bed and would want to come and say goodnight to her. That wasn't much time; only about two hours. So Ladybug it was.

A little more than a block away from the fairgrounds, Ladybug dropped into an alley to detransform. As soon as she landed, her yo-yo began to beep. Sliding it open to video chat, she was greeted by a nervous Chat Noir giving a two-finger salute.

"Hey, L.B. Surprised to catch you again."

"Same. What are you doing powered up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Ladybug bit the inside of her lip. "I'm- uh- out on patrol. You know how the holidays can affect people; just trying to cut down on akumatizations." She forced a laugh and hoped it was believable. She also kicked herself for using that excuse out of all the options she could have gone with. Of _course_ Chat Noir would know the holidays could be depressing. That was the exact thing she was trying to avoid, and yet there she was rubbing salt on the wound.

"Well, I'm glad you're so vigilant." Chat Noir didn't seem troubled by her word choice, but he did sound unsure. "I was actually wondering if you could help me out with something."

"Anything, Kitty. What do you need?"

"Well, there's this Christmas market that just opened up."

"Yeah?" Ladybug feigned ignorance as she stole quick glances out of the alleyway and towards the exact market Chat Noir mentioned.

"I figured it would actually be a big help if you came with me to it. I can't decide what to get for- uh- someone really important in my life, and I could really use your opinion."

"Wait. You want to shop together? As Chat Noir and Ladybug? I- I don't know how much of a good idea that is. Shouldn't you be shopping in your civilian identity anyway?" That was her plan, at least. It was bad enough that someone posted those pictures of her and Chat Noir at the park the day before. She really hoped to not draw any further attention that night. Besides, how would they manage to shop for anything as superheroes? She was sure citizens would be constantly stopping them for selfies or autographs or something. Either that, or they'd see the superheroes and panic that there was an akuma nearby. What if Hawk Moth found out where they were and attacked a mobbed location? It was bad enough trying to clear out the Champs-Élysées a few days ago when Grooge attacked. Ladybug couldn't chance-

"Please, Ladybug. I really need your help with this. You're the only one I trust with a decision this important." He tilted his head down slightly, pouted, and looked up at the camera with large baby-doll eyes. Ladybug turned her head, trying to ignore those big, pleading eyes as they yanked at her heart.

Then Chat Noir actually _whimpered_ the word "please?"

How was she supposed to say no to _that?_

"Alright, alright!" She waved him off, squinting through one eye while the other was clenched shut; hoping to avoid looking directly into those massive green eyes. "I'm actually right in the area. I'll meet you there in five minutes. Okay?" Baby-doll eyes. Does it every time. She just can't say no to those big, wide, pleading eyes.

It could actually work out perfectly. She'd watch Chat Noir to see what he likes and could then buy it for him. Maybe the fact that she paid that close attention to him while he was out shopping for someone else would be the perfect way to show her appreciation. It could showcase how much she valued him, and listened to what he said, as well as how well she learned his tells.

_This might be the answer I was looking for._ Nodding to herself in renewed focus and determination, she swung back up onto a nearby roof, and leapt a few streets away from the market. That way, if Chat Noir spotted her, it would look like she was just getting to the fair, instead of waiting outside of it already.

The plan seemed to have worked. Chat Noir waved his arms in a large arch above his head to get her attention just outside the market entrance. He then smiled widely as he deeply bowed and gestured towards the large arch lined with red and green lights. "Thanks for the save, My Lady. I hope you know you're my hero too."

Ladybug pursed her lips as she crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a little bump with her hip to throw him off-balance. "Alright, let's go pick out your gift-" Her eyes widened slightly as she realized her poor word choice again. "-that you need me to help pick out for your important person, I mean!" She marched forward, hoping Chat Noir wouldn't notice the blush warming her cheeks or catch her flub-up. _Nice save,_ she chastised herself with thick sarcasm.

Chat Noir quickly jogged up beside her, his arm brushing against hers as they wove through the thick crowd. With everyone bustling around them, Chat Noir stayed pressed against Ladybug to give the civilians enough space to zip past. Ladybug glanced up at him before focusing ahead.

_How am I supposed to observe him if he's too close for me to even see him without it being obvious?_ Ladybug's plans quickly unraveled in her mind, and her eyes just as quickly noticed all the shoppers with their phones out.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for us to be here?" Ladybug spoke as softly as she could with the murmur of the crowd muffling her. "I know you want to go shopping with me, and I'm happy to join you, but what if people become distracted by us?"

Not caring for Ladybug's attempts to stay discrete, Chat Noir threw his head back in a guffaw. "It's only a few days until Christmas. I think people will be more concerned with buying last-minute presents than they will be by us."

Ladybug watched the crowd all hurrying from stall to stall; children dragging their parents to the attractions; couples laughing with each other as they played some of the games and enjoyed their Christmas-themed date. Everyone who had their phones in their hands were taking pictures of each other or frantically texting or scrolling through shopping lists. Not a one was looking at them. Nor was a camera fixed in their direction.

"Maybe you're right." She relaxed a bit, and was mildly grateful for so many last-minute panic shoppers.

"Come along then, Bugaboo." Chat Noir held out his elbow and waved forward.

Ladybug giggled and shook her head. "How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?"

Chat Noir gave his "suave" smirk that Ladybug found charmingly goofy. "I'd say at least a hundred more, my lady."

Ladybug gave an exaggerated eye roll before accepting Chat Noir's elbow and motioning forward.

The market was absolutely gorgeous. Everything was red, green, white, or icy blue. The stalls each had a strand of Christmas lights lining the counter and awning. Archways of white fairy lights stretched from one side of the street to the other, creating a sparkling ceiling to the market. The promenade was also decorated heavily, but tastefully, with Santas, snowmen, the Nativity, snowflakes, wrapped presents, Jack Frost, Christmas ornaments, reindeer, and Christmas trees. The normal lights of Paris twinkled high above the street-level market, and left a distant glow, but the bright lights within the market were eye-level and welcoming. With all of the bodies of the shopping citizens crammed together, and the heaters in the stalls to keep the vendors warm, the winter chill was all but forgotten.

For the first few minutes, Ladybug just took it all in as she walked arm-in-arm with Chat Noir. It wasn't until they passed their fourth stall did she remember why she had agreed to come with him. Thankfully, he was just walking straight ahead as well. Clearly nothing in those first few stalls had caught his attention. She was focused now.

She couldn't watch him when she was against his side, though. Not without drawing attention to it. Clearing her throat, she let go of Chat Noir's arm. Oddly enough, he didn't look disappointed or embarrassed, like he normally did. He seemed almost, excited? Expecting? Was he waiting for her to do something?

"There were untagged pictures of us in the park yesterday," she quickly came up with an excuse to put a little distance between them. "No one is bothering us, but that doesn't mean they aren't watching. I don't want to give Nadja or Alya any wrong ideas, ya know, with us walking-" She motioned to their arms.

He gave a little nod. "Yeah. You're right, I guess. We should focus on gift shopping anyway."

"Yes. Exactly." She gestured for him to take the lead. He did the same. They laughed and walked forward in unison.

She wanted so desperately to ask him about his interests; his hobbies; how he spent his time outside the mask. She was afraid of learning too much about him, though. They couldn't chance figuring out who the other was. It was a delicate balance between knowing who Chat Noir was and knowing _exactly_ who Chat Noir was.

She could pick her kitty out of a line-up; she proved that when battling against Copycat. She had complete trust in him. She knew his heart, his kindness, his determination, and she was, sadly, beginning to learn what could break him. She knew so much about this boy beside her, but she couldn't know his name, or his favorite color, or favorite food – although she was betting it was something from her parents' bakery – or what he plans on doing as an adult, or what his favorite memory is, whether or not he has any siblings; the list stretched on.

_This plan has to work. Maybe I can figure out something about him without figuring out_ too _much._ Ladybug strategically wove around a shopper that passed between her and Chat Noir. When she met back up with him, she added another inch or two of space. They were still walking together, but she could now get a pretty decent view of his face in her peripheral.

He hadn't moved once towards a stall. Didn't seem to even look at any of them. They simply marched forward through the open-air market. Weren't they there to pick out a gift for someone important in Chat Noir's life? A parent, maybe? A cherished grandparent? A dear sibling? An influential teacher? A best friend? None of these stalls seemed to have what he was looking for though, both for this important person or himself.

_What do I do?_

They were nearing the end of the market section of the Christmas fair. The next few stalls were lit up with brighter lights and played loud music as the employees each shouted the aim of their game. The end of the promenade had a little set cottage covered with painted snow. Santa sat out front to greet the kids, and Mrs. Claus walked around inside the house, waving through one of the windows. Just past the mock North Pole were the carnival rides, all lit up so prettily and welcoming. Ladybug was beginning to understand the pull flames had on moths.

She had to give her head a good shake. They weren't there for games or rides. Chat Noir was there to pick out a gift. Ladybug was there to help him, and hopefully figure out a gift for him too. That plan was crumbling quickly. Why did Chat Noir ask her to come if he wasn't going to at least look at any of the stalls? Maybe he was too distracted walking around with her? Was he maybe picturing this as a sort of date? She had to get him to refocus on why they met up.

"So." Ladybug stopped by the last stall of the market. She would march them right back down the promenade if she needed to in order to get this sorted out. "What is it exactly you're looking for?"

"Oh! I..." Chat Noir fidgeted like he was caught going for treats before dinner.

Ladybug thought as much. The whole thing was probably some ploy just to spend the night with her. She had no clue how she was going to get him to walk the market a second time, specifically to look for something she could buy him, without him knowing that was exactly what she was doing. She needed a moment to think.

She looked around for ideas, and something fuzzy caught her eye. With a little squeal, she skipped over to a little fenced-in area just off the main market street of the fair. A few baby goats were penned into a petting zoo. She had never seen a goat before in person, and it was just as cute as she imagined. Crouching down, she stretched her hand through the bars and called out to the goats.

She knew she needed to prioritize Chat Noir, but she was a bit irritated that he would trick her into spending more time with him like that. She needed a beat to center herself and figure out how to salvage the night. Plus, it was baby goats and she had never seen them before and _look at how unbearably adorable they were!_

One of the goats ventured over to Ladybug's outstretched hand and started nuzzling into it. With another squeal of glee, Ladybug started cooing to it, and scratching its ears and head. Closing its eyes to fully appreciate the pets, the goat happily baaed back at her. It was simply enjoying that moment of affection from Ladybug so much. Maybe that was the solution.

She heard Chat Noir walk up beside her. With a glance, she saw that his cat ears were drooped, and his tail hung heavy behind him. He clearly didn't enjoy her running off on him like that, but too bad. That was his punishment for tricking her.

The night _was_ supposed to be about him though. She was on a mission to get him a memorable gift, not to pout at his attempt to make himself feel better by spending time with her.

That was it! Spending time with her! That's what Chat Noir wanted, wasn't it? That's what he kept asking from her practically since the day they met. Ladybug's eyes drifted past Chat Noir to a sign behind him pointing to a large tent in the adjacent park. Alright. She'll make a night of it. Chat Noir can have his gift of having a recreational night with his partner. At least, until she had to hurry back home so her parents wouldn't notice she was gone.

"Awww, Chat Noir, look. They're having some sort of animal show." She hopped up and gave a little squeal to really try to sell it. She tugged on his hand and pointed towards the tent.

"Yeah, that's great, but-" Chat Noir glanced back towards the Christmas market.

Ladybug wasn't sure why he was still holding onto that ruse. She figured they'd have a much better time, and a far more memorable evening, if they went to the animal show. Parisians saw pigeons every day, and could see exotic animals in the zoo, but how often could they see baby goats, or horses, or other common livestock? She just hoped there were no geese on display.

Chat Noir turned towards the large red and white tent, then down at her. "You want to go in and watch then?" His voice was so unsure, and he sighed a little when he said it.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Chat Noir spent the week being chased down by animals. He probably had a reason to be nervous. If he wanted to spend his night still pretending to be shopping for someone, she guessed she could go with it. She would just have to drag him to every single stall to make sure he looked at everything. Then maybe she could find something that piqued his interest.

"No, that's okay. I said I would help you with your shopping." She started back towards the promenade, but Chat Noir wrapped his arm around her shoulders and redirected her towards the tent.

"It doesn't really matter that much. I can tell that you really want to watch it."

It wasn't a full admission that he fibbed about picking out a gift, but she'd take it. They waited off to the side for everyone else to file into the tent; trying not to draw too much attention. After the last civilian took their seat, and no one else was waiting outside, the duo slipped through the opening.

Boy, did it smell in there! It kept Ladybug a second to get used to the stench, but was then startled by what caused it: eight dairy cows in a circle in the center of the tent. Sitting on a stool beside each of the cows was a woman dressed in traditional provincial clothing. All eight women were milking the dairy cows while taking turns talking to the crowd about the history of dairy farming and how it had evolved throughout the centuries.

Despite the smell being overwhelming at first, Ladybug had already grown mildly accustomed to it, and was now entranced by how large cows actually were. They truly were gentle giants. The cows didn't seem to care about being on display. They chewed on their provided hay and lazily swooshed their tails, shifting weight on their hooves every now and again. One or two softly mooed, which got the crowd all worked up.

"Now then." The woman closest to the tent entrance stood and gestured towards the crowd. "Do we have any volunteers to learn how to milk Eva here?" Her and her fellow farmers scanned for raised hands, and one of the woman gasped as her eyes landed on the superheroes.

"Is that- Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

The whole tent turned to them and began excitedly murmuring to each other.

Chat Noir, always the showoff, instantly struck a heroic pose. Ladybug, on the other hand, cringed slightly that they ended up drawing attention anyway. Shrugging an apology to the farmers for taking the limelight (although, to be fair, they were the ones that shone it on the heroes), Ladybug gave a shy wave.

The woman standing by Eva the cow stepped to the side and gestured towards the stool. "Perhaps Paris' dear heroes would love to have a go?"

"Oh, no, that's okay-" Ladybug and Chat Noir protested in unison, only to be instantly interrupted by the cheering crowd.

"Uh-" Ladybug gave an apologetic look to Chat Noir. This wasn't what she intended when she insisted they check out the show. At the same time, though, it _would_ be a memorable moment, and that _was_ her intention. Plus, she knew how much Chat Noir loved to bask in the celebrity of being a superhero. He never abused that celebrity, but that didn't stop him from loving every minute of it.

"Shall we, my lady? Can't disappoint our fans now, can we?"

The two walked to the center of the tented arena, Chat Noir waving and blowing kisses to the crowd the whole walk.

_Such a showoff,_ Ladybug mused as she fought back a smile. This could work out wonderfully. What a memory!

"Here you go, Ladybug." The standing woman greeted her by the fencing separating the cows from the audience, and handed her a pail. The woman then opened the gate and gestured towards her cow. "You can milk Eva."

"And, Chat Noir?" The woman at the cow in front of Eva stood up and waved Chat Noir over. "You can come over here and milk Louise."

Ladybug cautiously sat on the stool by Eva. The cow was much larger than she originally looked from the back of the tent. It wasn't even that low of a stool, and she could practically tuck under the cow's belly. Now every leg twitch had Ladybug on edge. Chat Noir still had his confidence dialed all the way up, and he gave her a little wink and double finger guns as he strutted past her and towards Louise the cow.

"Now," the woman that had flagged him over began to explain, "you need to be careful of-"

"Madame," Chat Noir chuckled, "I'm a superhero. I think I can handle a few cows." To prove his point, he gave Louise a little tap on her rump.

He must not have taken into consideration the claws on his gloves, because Louise began mooing loudly and kicking her legs to shoo him away from her. He jumped back in time to avoid a tail whip, and quickly pulled the woman away from one of Louise's kicks.

The cow then tossed her head and charged towards the center of the bovine circle; away from Chat Noir. This got the other cows riled up and they charged away from Louise: towards the crowd. Ladybug did a quick backflip off her stool to avoid being trampled by Eva.

The audience gasped and shifted back on the bleachers as the cows ran around inside the fenced off portion of the tent. The eight farmers tried to calm their cattle, but the beasts were too spooked, and started charging at the metal barriers; searching for an escape. Ladybug glanced over at Chat Noir, wondering what on earth had just happened. He sheepishly smiled and shrugged back in response.

A scream pulled Ladybug's attention to her left. One of the cows had bent the metal barrier enough that she was able to charge through. The rest of the small herd stampeded behind her. The Parisians shouted at each other as they scrambled out of the stands and rushed for the tent entrance.

"Chat Noir-" Before Ladybug could give direction, he was already in action.

His face hardened with determination to keep the citizens safe, Chat Noir leapt between the fleeing crowd and the stampeding cows. He extended his stick to try to become a new barrier. He lasted about as long as the metal ones the cows had already broken through. Barely slowing them down at all, the lead cow knocked him to the ground, and the other seven trampled over him in their sprint to freedom.

"Chat!" She knew she shouldn't laugh. This was a serious situation, and people could get hurt. Plus, poor Chat Noir was just trampled into the ground. However, it's not like this was the first time the poor boy got ran over by a stampede of animals. Oddly enough, it might not be the last time either. The look on his face though. That steadfast determination that he was going to fix the mess he somehow created, instantly brushed aside by a cow of all things? Ladybug couldn't help but snort a little laugh.

Besides, maybe that will teach him to not be so cocky, and listen to experts trying to teach him something.

Lassoing a crossbar by the tent entrance, Ladybug swung over to her partner as he struggled to push himself out of the catboy-shaped hole in the ground.

"Who knew you could cause so much damage without using your Cataclysm?" Ladybug teased before offering him a hand.

"Ha-ha," he grumbled, "So funny." He accepted her hand with a pout that quickly turned into a sincere frown. He was crestfallen yet again. He knew he had screwed up, and put people he was supposed to be protecting in danger. This truly wasn't his week, and her teasing and laughing was far from helping. Ladybug knew she could do better herself.

"Come on," Ladybug gave him an encouraging smile and nodded towards the Christmas market. "Let's go stop those rampaging cows." She hooked a lamp post and swung towards the screams. It kept a couple seconds, but Chat Noir was close behind.

Ladybug wasn't entirely sure it would work since it wasn't for an akuma attack, but she called on her Lucky Charm for help. After some quick strategizing and flawless execution, Ladybug and Chat Noir had the cows safely corralled.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug prayed her powers would fix even non-Miraculous-related damage. Thankfully, no one got hurt during the stampeding, but the Christmas market was in a bit of a shambles. With her breath caught in her chest, Ladybug watched the Lucky Charm burst into its normal firework-explosion of magical ladybugs, and the swarm swept through the market restoring everything.

Smiling, she held up her fist for Chat Noir. "Pound it!"

Chat Noir had his back to her and was hugging himself. His ears and tail were again drooping.

"Chat Noir?"

"I caused this. Everyone's night was ruined because of me. People were put in danger because I screwed up. I- I can't." He leapt onto a nearby car, then up onto a small window balcony, then the building roof, and then he was gone.

"Chat Noir, wait!" She had failed him again. How did she keep letting him leave like that?

"Ladybug? Is he going to be okay?" The woman that had called them out in the tent cautiously walked up to her, Eva the cow calmly in tow.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he is. Thank you."

"Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to help. We feel guilty about causing all of this by pulling you two up front like that."

"No! No, don't think like that. None of this is your fault, okay?"

The woman smiled back and gave a little nod. "Either way, we'll be here with the Christmas fair until the twenty-fourth, should you need us."

"Thank you." Ladybug gave a goodbye nod and then swung into the rooftops. Chat Noir was top priority now; no other distractions. Not even Adrien. She _had_ to figure something out for partner. And she only had four days to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again about the wait on this (as well as the name reveal for the akuma in chapter 5. I couldn't think of anything better than combining "Grinch" and "Scrooge"). This was suuuuuch an involved chapter, it kept me about a week to write and edit. At that point, I was really feeling the crunch with getting the other chapters done. I appreciate the patience though, and I hope you enjoy your reward: the other 4 chapters of this story all published today as well! YAY!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! No more animals to screw up Chat Noir's plans! Doesn't mean they're going to go smoothly though... poor kid.
> 
> Sorry, had to jet for a few hours there, but welcome to part 2 of a 5-chapter publication day! Hope you're enjoying these longer chapters. I'm actually quite impressed, considering I spent most of 2020 not writing anything. So, yet another HUGE thank you for Taurus Pixie and her story for jumpstarting my passion for writing again!
> 
> Also, quick actual note for this chapter: We're gonna ignore the Season 3 finale for this story's canon. I don't want to say any more and potentially drop spoilers for both this chapter and the series itself (in case you're a new fan and haven't gotten that far yet), but... yeah... pretend Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen (and by extension the NY special) haven't happened yet, especially since the original story was written before the season 3 finale.

* * *

School was again rough on Marinette. Her mind kept drifting back to Adrien and the rings, but she tried to listen to Tikki's advice the best she could: enjoy the time she had with Adrien before the winter break. She also had to focus on Chat Noir. Her feelings didn't matter right now; his did. She had to figure something out for him.

"Ug!" The moment Marinette made it to her room at the end of the school day she dropped into her computer chair and slammed her head onto her desk. "My head is about to explode! I'm out of ideas, Tikki."

"I find it unlikely that _you,_ of all people, are out of ideas."

"None that are good enough. None that say 'I'm sorry you were just trampled by cows, and chased by birds, and nearly drowned in a lake because you've been up all week trying to get me the perfect gift when you had already done that'."

"He has had an oddly bad run of luck this week. The cows last night, the lake the day before, oh, and that swan taking off with whatever he had in his hand! The geese attacking before that."

Marinette rolled her head to her right and looked at Chat Noir's original gift. "And a partridge in a pear tree," she softly sung.

"What was that?"

Marinette wasn't entirely sure, it just felt natural to sing that line after the list Tikki rattled off. She wasn't even really thinking when she sang it. Now that she was though, it may have been the puzzle piece she needed. "Eight maids a-milking," Marinette sang, slowly sitting up, the wheels now turning.

"Marinette?"

"Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying." Marinette ignored the next line. She couldn't think about five golden rings at the moment.

"Chat Noir is giving me the Twelve Days of Christmas," Marinette laughed. "I'm not sure how he's not-so-lucking into it, but the three French hens? The four 'calling' birds? He's just somehow cursed to be plagued by the animals of the song _The Twelve Days of Christmas_ , but they're almost all there." She gave another little giggle. "He keeps trying, and then apologizing, because he thinks he's failing, but he's doing the exact opposite! I've had so much fun this week, and there is no way I could ever forget any of it. Whatever I do, it has to be memorable. It has to be big, Tikki."

"Does that mean you've figured out your gift?"

Marinette fumbled for a pencil and some paper. She quickly scribbled everything down; all of Chat Noir's gifts. She'd show him that his gifts weren't disasters. They were some of the greatest moments she'd ever have. She'd prove it by giving them all back to him. If he was going to stumble into giving her the Twelve Days of Christmas, then she'd intentionally give them right back.

"I've got a lot of work to do." She smiled at her kwami and tucked her list in her purse. "Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

The farmers were easy enough to recruit. The ladies were excited to help give Chat Noir a well-deserved Christmas gift. It kept some time, but Ladybug was able to find the animal rights activist as well. He was just as happy to do something for Chat Noir as thanks for helping liberate the hens. The real challenge was figuring out how to round up the birds safely and humanely. As she was researching more into that she got a message from Chat Noir.

He wanted to meet her at a local convention that had sprung up in their honor. With everything that week, she had completely forgotten about it. She checked the time. There was just enough for her to make one more pit stop before she needed to head to the convention.

* * *

"So you'll be able to do this?" Ladybug stood on the doorstep of a woman in her fifties. She only had the time to do some quick research on the subject, but this woman was apparently top of her field in studying song birds. Ladybug just happened to luck into the woman also living in Paris.

The woman leaned casually on the door jamb and waved the superhero off. "Oh yeah. The timeline's a bit tight, but blackbirds are actually pretty smart and great mimickers. I won't really be able to do anything with wild ones, but domesticated are easy enough to train. We have a small flock at the university for us to study. You said you needed four?"

"Yes. Four calling birds." Ladybug grinned and gave the woman a grateful nod as she lassoed a nearby flagpole. "I'll get you more details as I iron them out. Chat Noir will love this. Thank you."

"Anything for the Heroes of Paris," the woman called back as Ladybug swung away.

It wasn't long before Ladybug came upon the Grand Palais. The front of the massive expo center was decked out with both Christmas decorations and cut-outs of Ladybug and Chat Noir. People bustled in and out of the main entrance in their superhero cosplay; the top halves obscured by thick parkas and heavy woolen peacoats as they bundled against the cold snap coming through Paris. No one seemed to even notice Ladybug as she walked through the front door.

She wasn't sure what to think as she wandered the convention in search for her partner. Part of her was flattered that so many people idolized her enough to dress as her, and a part of her was happy to be able to just walk around casually without getting a second glance; others probably thinking she was another devoted fan. A large portion of her, however, was extremely self-conscious about seeing herself _everywhere._ It was equally weird to see her partner everywhere, and a bit off-putting that so many seemed to only see him as a leather-clad catboy flirt. She hoped the Ladybugs being "wooed" by the Chat Noir cosplayers were willing partners to the pathetic Casanova-like advancements, otherwise she might have to knock around a few heads.

Despite it being a much easier vantage point, Ladybug resisted swinging into the rafters to get a bird's eye view of the convention to help her find _her_ Chat Noir. It was probably best to not draw too much attention. The crowd swarming her would keep her from her meet-up, and Chat Noir didn't need further disappointment that week. Instead, Ladybug decided on wandering through the crowd for a few more minutes. Then, music caught her ear. It ended before she found the source, but she narrowed down that it was coming from a back corner of the center, so she headed in that direction.

As she got closer, a low squabble erupted from the corner. Quickening into a jog, Ladybug came upon a medium-sized stage. On the stage, eight women cosplaying as her were stretching and running through choreography with some very sour looks on their faces. Just in front of the stage was her partner standing between a ninth cosplayer and-

_Eck. Chlo_ _é_ _._ Ladybug gave her own sour face as she rolled her eyes. Chloé was in her high-end Ladybug cosplay costume and poking the older cosplayer in the chest as the two women argued. Poor Chat Noir looked exasperated as he wedged himself between the ladies to try to break up the argument.

"Now-now, ladies," Chat Noir stretched his arms out, pushing gently on both of their shoulders as he forced them to take a few steps back from each other. He then turned towards Chloé, placed both hands on her shoulders, and tried to spin her towards the chairs set up in front of the stage. "Chloé, why don't you just go and relax, and enjoy the show?" His tone was kind, but his voice was tight. Ladybug could tell he was struggling to not snap at the blonde.

"Sure," Chloé scoffed, but then she smirked, and her body relaxed. "I'll enjoy the show, alright." She turned to the cosplaying woman she had been arguing with, huffed, and flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. With an extra dose of attitude, Chloé sauntered off.

Relieved to have ended whatever drama had been going on, Chat Noir audibly sighed. The cosplayer gave him a concerned quirk of her eyebrows, but he simply held up a hand and shook his head in reply. The woman seemed to catch his meaning, gave a nod, and went back to the other cosplayers to join in their stretching.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug inched forward as she cautiously called out to him. Despite trying to be gentle about her intrusion, Chat Noir still leapt a good foot off the floor in a start. Ladybug skirted around to Chat Noir's front, then rested a hand on his upper arm to try to help ease whatever stress he had put on himself this time. "What's going on? Why did you want to meet here? Did you agree that we'd speak at a panel or something?"

She had hoped not. Chat Noir wasn't in a good mental spot after everything. She knew that he felt guilty about the cows the night before, and he was one to overcompensate for his faults. She feared he set up some sort of panel to try to bask in his heroics again. Ladybug wanted to pull him off to the side and make sure he _heard_ her when she told him that no one lost faith in him, that he was still a hero and didn't need to prove anything, and that he needed to stop stressing himself out with these gifts; she loved the pear tree one. She didn't have a moment to say any of that though.

"No." Chat Noir popped on a huge, playful smirk. All of the stress he had been wearing half-a-second ago already forgotten. "I have something much better planned." He glanced past Ladybug's shoulder, gave a head tilt, then a nod and an 'OK' sign. Draping his hands on Ladybug's waist, he pivoted her to face the stage and pulled her back a few steps so she could see the full display. "Hit it, ladies!"

The nine Ladybug cosplayers ran to their marks. A man Ladybug didn't notice before who was dressed as Chat Noir if he were a break dancer instead of a superhero messed with a large production board. He dimmed the house lights around the stage, and brought up red track lights to cast a faint glow on the cosplayers. Behind Chat Noir and Ladybug, a few of the convention goers started to file into the folding chairs, murmuring excitement over the show that was just about to start.

Then the music started up: Clara Nightingale's "It's Ladybug" beautifully mashed up with Jagged Stone's musical dedication to the superhero. Ladybug was pretty positive it was Nino's remix that Alya posted to the Ladyblog a week ago. She gasped and turned to Chat Noir. She was so impressed that he liked Nino's song enough that he would bring her to a performance using it, and equally impressed that this group was apparently inspired by the song in the first place.

_Why can't I tell Nino about this? Where is he, anyway? And Alya? Shouldn't they be front-and-center at a Ladybug and Chat Noir convention?_ Ladybug scanned the crowd for her best friend, but Alya was nowhere to be found.

Chat Noir cleared his throat. His grin widening, he nodded towards the stage. Spotlights lit it up, and the Ladybug cosplayers started dancing to the music. No, it was more than dancing, they were swinging their yo-yos around them in grand displays as well. It was like a gorgeous gymnastic showcase. It was a more intense version of rhythmic ribbon gymnastics as they swung their yo-yos in perfect unison. Their movements were far more coordinated and flowed far more gracefully than Ladybug could ever manage, and it both humbled her and inflated her ego a touch that people seemed to picture her so elegantly.

_Is this how Chat Noir sees me?_ She stole a glance at her partner, and his eyes were fixated on her. As she blushed at the attention, Chat Noir twitched and shifted to watch the performance instead, his own cheeks pinkening at getting caught watching her.

Trying to forget that sweet and proud look in Chat Noir's eyes, Ladybug re-focused on the stage herself.

"Oh no," both Ladybug and Chat Noir muttered under their breath.

Shoving her way past the dancers, dodging under or jumping over their yo-yos, and even tangling some of the dancers up in their yo-yo string as she made her way to center stage, was Chloé Bourgeois. While her own dance moves were perfectly in sync with the music, they clearly weren't what the rest of the performers had practiced. Instead of elegant and gymnastic feats of yo-yo manipulation and control, Chloé's choreography was more focused on a fusion of jazz and ballet. It was Chloé showcasing herself in a Ladybug costume, instead of performers showcasing how they viewed one of Paris' superheroes.

Ladybug scowled. She hated that Chloé kept proclaiming herself one of Ladybug's biggest fans, but then would continue to do such selfish things as this. At what point did Ladybug endorse such behavior? In what world would Chloé think her idol would be happy with how she acted?

The cosplaying dancers were clearly professionals though, because the moment they got untangled from their props, they moved in perfect unison to block Chloé from view. They each did their own unique aerial leap over Chloé; some back flips, some hand springs, some three-sixties, and one woman did a barrel roll leap that reminded Ladybug more of Chat Noir than of herself. Once in front of Chloé, the troupe of dancers created a human wall and continued their original routine.

"Hey!" Chloé yelled over the music. She then began hopping up and down behind the dancers, waving her arms wildly to try to be seen. "Ladybug!" Chloé jumped at a slight angle so her head poked out above the shoulders of two of the performers. The women shifted to try to block Chloé again, but the teen persisted and found another open spot to poke out. "Over here!"

The performers shifted again, effortlessly. It was like they were of one mind and knew exactly what needed to be done to let the show continue with as few hitches as possible.

Chloé was more than a simple "hitch," however. She ended up crawling between one of the women's legs, throwing her off balance as her foot got tangled in Chloé's knee. Completely ignoring the woman she just tripped, Chloé jumped up and again waved her arms wildly.

"Look at me!" Chloé continued to shout, _"I'm_ your biggest fan! Ignore these losers!" She thumbed behind her, where the nine women all snarled at her. The woman that was arguing with Chloé when Ladybug arrived was helping up the woman the teen tripped up. Two more women were holding her shoulders, clearly trying to talk her down from getting into another fight with the mayor's daughter.

Ladybug facepalmed. _Of_ _course_ Chloé would ruin this poor group's performance. The moment she saw her rival there Ladybug should have seen this outcome. Everything Chloé Bourgeois touched was tainted with her poor attitude and ruined. No one but Chloé was ever allowed to have a good time or enjoy anything.

The performers started shouting at Chloé, and the teen scoffed at their grievances.

"How am I supposed to impress Ladybug when I have such pathetic back-up dancers?" Chloé huffed as she again flicked her ponytail off her shoulder and started strutting towards the stairs leading off the stage.

"Back-up dancers?" One of the women yelled.

Chloé paid her no mind and shoved her way through the performers.

Ladybug had enough. She knew she should break this whole thing up, but it was too much. Plus, she was afraid she'd say the wrong thing to Chloé while reprimanding her. She always seemed to. She really couldn't handle Chloé being akumatized right now. She just needed to blow off some steam. Calm herself down, and then hopefully stop an akuma before it starts.

Leaving Chat Noir behind to try to break up the fight – he was better with people anyway – Ladybug sprinted towards an unused corner of the expo center, hugging herself tight to make sure she didn't lash out at Chloé.

"She has to ruin _everything,_ doesn't she?" Ladybug asked herself. Reaching the dark corner of the convention, she still didn't feel secluded enough with stalls just a few paces away. She checked that no one was watching – she _really_ didn't need the attention right now – and lassoed a roof support beam to bring herself into the rafters. Up there, the sounds of the convention were just a rolling murmur below her. She was safe to fume for a minute, and she could watch out for any black butterflies potentially slipping in due to all of that arguing.

Another one of Chat Noir's presents was ruined. Once again, it wasn't his fault, but Ladybug knew he'd believe it was anyway. He needed a win, and Chloé stole that from him, let alone was beyond rude to those performers. She was even incredibly inconsiderate to the audience enjoying the performance. On top of all of that, this could have been huge for Nino: one of his original mixes used in a professional performance at a convention. The more she thought about it, the more Chloé irked her. It was like she was shouting in her head.

Wait. That shouting wasn't in her head.

Ladybug looked down. The cosplaying dancers were still arguing with Chloé. One looked like she was being held back from straight up slugging the teen. Chat Noir was nowhere in sight.

_He left them too? Where did he go?_ She quickly scanned the convention floor, but with all of the cosplayers it was too hard to distinguish which one was him. Her gaze flew back to the stage and the nine women circling Chloé as the blonde tried to not look intimidated.

This one was on Ladybug. She knew Chat Noir would be upset about another surprise for her going sideways, and yet she was forcing him to clean up a mess he didn't even make. That wasn't fair to him. Now the situation escalated and there were obvious threats of potential violence. This was way worse than a possible akuma finding any of these upset women.

Swinging in for the save, Ladybug landed beside Chloé and held up her hands to stop the encroaching mob of dancers.

"Stop! None of this is worth this. Please."

"Ladybug!" Chloé latched hard onto one of Ladybug's arms and beamed at the dancers. "See? I _told_ you that I was her favorite! Ladybug, they threatened me! Beat them up!"

"I'm not doing that, Chloé," Ladybug retorted in a stern voice. She ripped her arm out of Chloé's grip and glared at her. "This is your fault."

"M-my-my _what?"_ Chloé blinked in confusion.

"You ruined their performance. You were beyond rude to them. You could have hurt them when you interrupted their yo-yo tricks and started shoving them out of your way. You tripped one of them and didn't care. None of that is okay."

Chloé's lip quivered. She then looked around at the nine women, all standing tall with their arms crossed in front of their chests as they smugly smiled at her and nodded at Ladybug's words.

"Ladybug, but-"

"No! No buts, Chloé. Apologize to these women."

Chloé pouted, and her eyes started to gloss over with tears. Ladybug wouldn't cave though.

"Forget all of you! I was trying to do something nice for _you,_ Ladybug, and this is the thanks I get? It wouldn't have been a problem if your partner had just asked me to be the lead of his stupid showcase in the first place!"

_Wait. Chat Noir didn't just bring her to this showcase? He had coordinated it for her?_ Ladybug shook off the thought. That wasn't priority right now.

"I'm not hearing an apology, Chloé." Ladybug rolled her shoulders back and puffed out her chest to seem a bit more imposing.

"Just you wait until my daddy hears about this!" Chloé shoved hard against one of the women, pushing her out of the way as she stormed off.

"Chloé!" Ladybug yelled after, but quickly gave up. There was no changing Chloé Bourgeois. Instead, Ladybug turned towards the dancers. "I am so sorry for her. I was really enjoying your performance. You are all just so amazingly talented."

The tension instantly left the women. Some of them blushed slightly at the compliment.

"Thanks, Ladybug," the woman who had the initial argument with Chloé said. "That means a lot to us, right ladies?" The other eight sincerely agreed as they gushed back how amazing the superhero was.

"We were incredibly honored that Chat Noir picked our little troupe to perform for you like that. He put in a lot of effort to try to organize this on the fly. It's such a shame you didn't get to see the whole thing."

"Do you want to see the whole thing?" another woman chimed in, "Now that brat is gone, we could go through it with no problem."

"That's sweet." Ladybug gave them all a reassuring smile. "And I would love to take you up on that offer, but I should probably find Chat Noir first. It wouldn't feel right to watch the performance without him."

The women all nodded.

"Hey, wait." Ladybug quickly counted. She knew there were nine of them, but she had to be sure. She chuckled upon realizing that Chat Noir somehow did it again. "Could I ask you ladies for a favor?"

She quickly told them about her own Christmas gift idea. They loved it, and excitedly talked among themselves how they were going to help out. Thanking each one and then leaving them to plan out their part of Ladybug's gift, she ran back into the convention to see if she could find her kitty.

It was a lot easier on the ground. Most of the Chat Noirs she ran past were clearly not him. They either weren't blond – easy enough to cross them off – or their costumes weren't quite right, or they completely misread Chat Noir's personality: focusing on nothing but badly-forced puns and obnoxious flirting with the Ladybug cosplayers. It still took some time to find him, though, simply because of how large the room was and how many people were in it.

When she did find him, he had just confronted a cosplayer.

"Whoa! Whoa there, Bugaboo, I'm right here." He chuckled as he rested his hand on the cosplayer's shoulder. The girl, who, Ladybug had to admit, did look a lot like her, stared bewildered at him. "I think you need to practice what you preach about not being able to recognize people," Chat Noir finished.

Ladybug pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. So, her partner left a volatile situation with those dancers and Chloé, not because he was upset and needed to be alone, but because he put finding her as his priority, and he didn't even manage to do that? Worse yet, he was now berating cosplayers, thinking they're her? How many did he call out like this? It was easy enough for her to find the real him, but he couldn't do the same with her? So much for being in love with her.

She cleared her throat. "Errr, Chat Noir?"

He stiffened. He was like a startled cat that held as still as possible in hopes the threat wouldn't see them and move on. She wasn't planning on moving on, however.

"I'm right here." Ladybug was so tired. She just wanted to go home. She'll figure out the rest of her gift to him once she was a little less annoyed. Was he truly in love with her if he couldn't even tell when he was talking to the real one?

Chat Noir slowly turned. A toothy, lopsided, unsure smile stretched awkwardly across his face.

"Bugaboo?" the Ladybug cosplayer asked, a bit of amusement dripping from that singular word.

_Great,_ Ladybug quickly rolled her eyes. _Now even more people know he calls me that. How am I supposed to convince people we're not a couple when he does stuff like this?_

Chat Noir ignored the girl and instead started to pull Ladybug off to the side. "Are you okay?"

_No._

"Yeah." She hated liars, and she hated lying, but this wasn't the time to dump everything onto Chat Noir. She was just too mentally exhausted to go through this whole thing with him. "Sorry I ran off, it's just-" Sharp inhale. "Chloé."

Chat Noir nodded. He opened his mouth, but before he could get out a single word he was interrupted by Ladybug's yo-yo beeping.

She held up a finger to ask him to wait a moment, and then checked the notification. There was a hit on her earlier search for humane wild water fowl transport. This was perfect! She could have Chat Noir's present almost completely sorted out before she even went to bed!

"Look, Kitty, I've really gotta go." She gave his forearm a reassuring squeeze. "I'll see you for patrol tomorrow." She pulled him into a quick hug to make sure he knew everything was alright between the two of them, despite her irritation at that moment. He had left on a low note too many times. She _needed_ him to know that they were good. "Thank you for showing me that show though. It was really nice until-" She pulled away and fumbled for the right wording. "Well," she waved her hand in a small circle in the air, not finding a proper alternative to "before Chloé screwed everything up because that's what she does, and then I ran off to leave you to clean up everything on our own, which wasn't fair to you, but then you left too, and so I had to break up an almost-fight between the dancers and Chloé, and then I find you confusing a cosplayer for me..." In the end, she decided to go with, "you know."

"Yeah." He sighed and stared at his feet as he scuffed at the floor with his toe.

Ladybug cupped his cheek, startling him into looking into her eyes. She simply smiled. A couple of seconds later, she was again up in the rafters. Before heading out completely, Ladybug swung by the dancers, gave them a wink and a thumbs up – which they returned – and then she slid through an upper window that was left open to help with air circulation.

She was indeed quite drained after everything that happened, but she had one more important stop. She headed for the lake-side park Chat Noir took her boating in. The image of Chat Noir's sweet smile pushing her forward through her exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It kept me quite a few tries to figure out how Marinette would get to that "12 Days of Christmas" conclusion. Considering I typically sing "and a partridge in a pear tree" whenever anyone rattles off a semi-long list, I'm surprised it kept me so long to get there for this story.
> 
> I loved making Chat Noir/Adrien such a big Nino stan that he made sure to use his buddy's Ladybug remix for the dance performance. Anyone know if a fan HAS found a way of recreating Jagged Stone's song? Let alone mashing it up with the show theme?
> 
> I also had a lot of fun this chapter kinda dunking on those fanfic writers that seem to always mischaracterize Chat Noir. He's more than forced puns and "inappropriate" flirting, ya know. *glares* But I did also have to throw in the Break Dancing AU in this con somewhere. Couldn't figure out how to sneak in a Coffee Shop AU or Spy AU though...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting distracted by the Super Bowl now, so I might slow a bit with publishing, but I'm so close to getting these all published today, so keep an eye out!

"H-h-here, Adrien." Marinette bowed low as she held the green-wrapped gift over her head. Nino and Alya stood in shock behind her as the quartet stood beside the Agreste town car at the end of their last school day of the semester.

"I can't believe she actually did it," Alya whispered a bit too loudly.

"Wow! Thanks, Marinette." Adrien accepted the box and stared at it a bit uneasy. "I'm sorry. I didn't know we were exchanging gifts or I would have gotten you something."

Marinette's heart sunk. Her last hope that maybe Adrien _did_ buy those rings for her – or, at least one of them – was completely squashed. That didn't matter though. She had expected as much. What mattered was Adrien having a happy Christmas.

"No! No-no, that's fine. Ferfectly pine- I mean _perfectly fine._ It's fine. You don't have to get me anything. I just-" She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the sidewalk. "I wanted to show you how much you meant to me."

Alya squealed.

"-as a friend, I mean!" Marinette quickly added. Alya loudly groaned, and Nino escorted her away.

Adrien gave a quick check on Alya before turning back to Marinette. "Should I wait for Christmas, or open it now?"

"I mean, it's your present. You can open it whenever- No, wait!"

It was too late. Adrien had already torn open the wrapping.

"Wow! This is amazing, Marinette! Although, I really shouldn't be expecting anything less from you." He pulled out the knitted beanie and instantly put it on. It was a kelly green, and really made the emerald shade of his eyes pop. Marinette had wanted to go with blue to match the scarf she made him for his birthday, but she couldn't chance that he'd figure out the scarf wasn't from his father. The green suited him, and both blue and green went well with just about any other color, so it would still work.

He gave a few model poses to show off his new hat, making Marinette giggle at how amazingly adorable this boy was. He smiled and his eyes softened.

"Thanks, Marinette. This really means a lot." He pulled her into a tight hug, and Marinette did all she could to not melt in his arms.

The hug was cut far too short when Adrien's bodyguard gave a quick honk of the horn.

"Sorry," Adrien pulled away, leaving Marinette a little woozy on her feet. "I really have to get going. I hope you have a merry Christmas." He then turned towards Nino and Alya, who were at the corner of the block. He waved and shouted "Merry Christmas" to them as well before climbing into the car.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien," Marinette quickly said as the car door closed.

Almost instantly, the window lowered. "I'm gonna miss hanging out at school. I can't wait to see you guys again in a few weeks. Let me know if you want to hang out, and I'll see if I can sneak away." He gave her a wink before rolling up the window again, and they drove off.

"Girl, that was amazing!" Alya sprinted up and pulled Marinette into a hug, swinging her best friend around in a quick circle before planting her back onto the sidewalk. "I'm so proud of you!" She then leaned in to whisper in Marinette's ear, "Now, if only we can get you to do that without adding 'as a friend'." She playfully gave her bestie a nudge with her elbow, and then walked Marinette back over to an awaiting Nino.

* * *

The trio walked to the bakery for a quick after-school snack, then Alya and Marinette exchanged gifts. Nino was just as flustered as Adrien that Marinette gifted him something, but he had nothing in return. He promised to make her a killer song mix and send it to her by Christmas.

Just before dinner, the three of them gave each other tight hugs, wished each other a happy holiday, made plans for the next week, and parted ways. Marinette then blamed accidentally over-indulging in snacks with her friends to get out of dinner with her parents. Instead, she grabbed a small block of cheddar and a handful of grapes before heading to her room, claiming she had some Christmas gifts to finish off.

It wasn't _entirely_ lying. She did still have Chat Noir's to polish up. She had all the players, she just needed to sort out what to do with them. How would she best be able to present them to Chat Noir? She didn't have time for that right now, though. She had a patrol to get to.

Once she was powered up, her yo-yo began to beep. Another message from Chat Noir to greet her. She sighed, knowing he was at it again with his own attempts to gift her something.

This time he asked her if they could meet up in front of the Grand Paris hotel.

"What on earth is he up to this time?" She had quite enough of Chloé Bourgeois already, and now they were going to her home? She knew there was only one way to find out, so she headed off to meet her partner.

Chat Noir was pacing along the sidewalk in front of the hotel, gesturing with his hands as if he were practicing a speech of some kind. Ladybug stayed hooked to the side of the building, just watching him for a moment; getting a gauge on how he was feeling that day. He did seem in good spirits. It was certainly better than arguing with Chloé, or being too tired to barely keep his eyes open, or having to fight against an akuma who just wanted to rescue an abused flock of chickens.

Ladybug dropped down in front of her partner, trying to not startle him the way she did the day before. "Hey, Chat Noir, what's going on?"

"Ladybug!" In a flash, Chat Noir closed the gap between them, his arm laced through hers. "I'm taking you out to dinner." He then used his free hand to adjust a cute little black bow tie he managed to tuck on top of his bell. Ladybug hated to admit it, but it was kind of adorable how he tried to "dress up" for this. "My treat," Chat Noir finished with a wink.

"Dinner?" Ladybug was glad she had already ditched her family meal, otherwise this would have been quite awkward. "Where?"

"At Mayor Bourgeois' restaurant." Chat Noir gestured towards the hotel.

"What?" Ladybug shrieked. There was no way she could allow that, for so many reasons. "But-"

Chat Noir placed a finger against her lips to stop her. He quickly pulled it away when he saw her scrunch her eyebrows. "Er- Don't worry. Chloé won't be there, I made sure that she wasn't." He gave a slight tug on their intertwined arms, trying to usher her towards the hotel's front doors. "It's just going to be the two of us having a nice, quiet meal together."

Knowing he checked that Chloé wouldn't be around did relax her a little, but there was still so much more wrong with this plan. Not least of which was how he was planning on paying for the meal. She hoped he didn't promise the mayor any favors in exchange for a free dinner. Knowing the mayor and his daughter, it would be cheaper to just pay.

"But this place is really fancy and expensive," she tried to hint. This was a bad idea. She knew it was. "I don't know." She glanced behind them as he inched her closer to the entrance. She had to find a way of getting him to take her anywhere else, or maybe a picnic again? It was a lovely idea, and she did think the rooftop one he made over the summer was sweet. Third time's the charm and all that, right?

"It's okay." Chat Noir swung around in front of her and squeezed her hands in assurance. "I'll make sure we're far away from everybody else, and don't worry about money. I'm paying."

That was precisely what she was afraid of. There was no way he could afford something like this! "Chat! I can't expect you to do that!"

"I insist," he said softly; soothingly. There was almost a sultriness in his voice that startled Ladybug a little. "It's my gift to you. Besides, wait until you try the soup here."

"Oh!" Ladybug quickly calculated if she could let him know she already had her great-uncle's winning soup. Of course, she couldn't include the "great-uncle" bit, but it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to let him know she had already tried it. He seemed so proud of this idea though, and it was sweet that he thought so highly of her great-uncle's soup that he'd want her to experience it. "R-right." Relenting, she let him lead her inside.

Despite it being two days before Christmas, the lobby of the hotel was dead-quiet. Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged a glance. There shouldn't have been a reason for the place to look abandoned. Did Chat Noir let Mayor Bourgeois know that they were coming? And did the mayor shut down the rest of his business just so the two of them could have a private dinner? That didn't seem like the mayor, but Ladybug couldn't think of any other explanation. Something just felt off.

Chat Noir was starting to look a bit nervous himself, but he pressed on, leading Ladybug towards the restaurant in the hotel. She wanted to run and carry him with her, but this could finally be Chat Noir's win. She couldn't deny him that. Besides, if it turned out that they stumbled upon an akuma attack they couldn't very well ignore it. They were supposed to be patrolling right now anyway.

Getting off the elevator, Chat Noir inched them towards the closed restaurant doors. The only other times Ladybug saw the doors closed were when the dining area itself was in off-hours and when there was a private party renting the space. Maybe the mayor was throwing a Christmas party?

Chat Noir cleared his throat. "Don't worry. I talked to the mayor already. We should be good to go in." He gave an unsure smile before slowly pushing the doors open to peek inside. As the two of them poked their heads in, the room erupted in cheers; everyone inside excitedly staring back at the doors and them.

Mayor Bourgeois and Chloé were front-and-center to accept their guests. Ladybug choked down a groan.

"Our heroes arrive at last!" Mayor Bourgeois clapped and cheered the loudest out of the packed restaurant. He then motioned for the crowd to continue cheering as he approached the door.

"What's going on?" Ladybug leaned close to Chat Noir and whispered. "Did you organize a surprise party or something?"

"No, I did not." There was a low growl in Chat Noir's voice as he whispered back. He glared at the mayor as the man neared. "I just wanted to take you out for a nice dinner."

Mayor Bourgeois pulled the door open the rest of the way, and scooped both Chat Noir and Ladybug under each arm before escorting them the rest of the way inside.

"What gives?" Chat Noir hissed at the mayor as the superheroes were marched further into the crowded room. "You promised me and Ladybug a private evening."

"I'm a politician," the mayor chuckled dismissively, "I never keep promises. When you asked to dine here with Ladybug, I couldn't resist showing you off to all of my esteemed guests. They all wanted to dine exclusively with Paris' beloved heroes."

He wasn't wrong. It looked like every famous Parisian was in the room, clamoring for their attention. There were even people Ladybug didn't recognize, but they were dressed so exquisitely they must have been important figures, at least to Mayor Bourgeois' career. Ladybug tried not to glare at Bob Roth and XY as she was paraded past them.

"Right this way, please," Mayor Bourgeois said pluckily, as if Ladybug and Chat Noir had much of a choice with his large arms draped over their shoulders.

Ladybug caught sight of Nadja Chamack, and Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling. She hoped to be seated with either of them. Mrs. Chamack would be a bit much, but at least Ladybug liked her. Jagged could also be a bit over-the-top, but it would be nice to have a chance to catch up with Penny, plus, Ladybug did still greatly enjoy Jagged as both a performer and a person.

"Ladybug? Chat Noir?" Mayor Bourgeois pushed them to a long table set up in the center of the room. "I'd like you to meet the ten Lords of the Kingdom of Achoo." The mayor gave the teens a little shove on their backs, directing them towards the exceptionally tall men dressed in the finest suits. "They especially wanted to thank you for saving their prince from an akuma attack."

"Oh, umm, nice to meet you." Ladybug held out her hand for them to shake. The man closest to her quickly accepted it, smiling widely as he shook it with gusto. He then turned to the other lords, as if gloating that he was the first to shake her hand. Ladybug looked over at Chat Noir, who sheepishly mouthed 'sorry' before having his own hand scooped up for an equally enthusiastic shake by the lord closest to him.

The superheroes walked around the table, accepting hardy hand shakes from each of the men. Behind the duo, Chloé approached and held out her hand as well.

"And _I'm_ Chloé Bourgeois, daughter of the hotel owner, _the_ _mayor_ , André Bourgeois." When no one took her hand she gave it a little wag. Still no takers. "You may have heard of me," she insisted, "especially since I'm all that Prince Ali likely talks about." She giggled and fluttered her lashes. When she still didn't get the attention she craved, Chloé shoved herself between Ladybug and one of the lords to make sure she was seen.

Ladybug and Chat Noir gave each other a knowing look and groaned.

"I-" one of the lords ventured, "don't think our prince has ever mentioned you." He looked at his fellow lords to see if any of them remembered Prince Ali mentioning Chloé in their conversations. They all shrugged and shook their heads.

"What?" Chloé squeaked before regaining her composure. She smiled and waved the men off. "I'm sure he's just being shy. Are you here to discuss with Daddy the possibility of Prince Ali and I becoming a couple? It's an alliance that would be utterly perfect!"

"No," one of the lords said flatly and without hesitation. The irritation plain on his face.

"In fact," another lord interjected, "maybe it is Ladybug that would be a perfect match for the prince?"

" _What?"_ Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Chloé all yelled in unison, drawing the attention of the rest of the dining guests.

"There's no way Ladybug would ever date Prince Ali!" Chat Noir growled as he protectively stepped in front of his partner, his arms out to tuck her behind him.

"Hey! Excuse me, I can speak for myself!" Ladybug pressed on his arm, pushing him out of her way. It was sweet that he'd come to her defense, but she didn't need some White Knight. Besides, who was Chat Noir to decide who she would and wouldn't date? He was just as bad as these lords trying to pawn their prince off on her.

_Men,_ she internally scoffed.

"Why would he want Ladybug when he's clearly got a thing for me!" Chloé demanded, stomping her foot for emphasis.

_Guess I'm not on her pedestal anymore. Must have really upset her when I told her to apologize yesterday._ Ladybug tried to decide whether or not this was a bad thing.

"Why would our prince want a little brat like you," one of the lords spat back at Chloé, "when he could have the finest superhero in all of Paris?" The man's eyes got all dreamy as he gushed about Ladybug and clearly pictured her as their princess. She shuddered at the thought of these men already picking out her wedding dress.

"Errr, perhaps we should get on with dinner," Mayor Bourgeois suggested through gritted teeth, furiously wringing his hands.

"Daddy!" Chloé stomped over to her father and tugged on his sleeve. "Are you going to let them talk to me like this?" She pointed an accusatory finger at the lord that had called her a brat.

The mayor bent down to meet his daughter and spoke in soft tones. "I'm sorry, sweat pea, but these are very important men, and it's important to be nice to the customer." He then stood back upright and nervously laughed. The Lords of Achoo continued to glare at Chloé. Ladybug couldn't really say she blamed them.

Pursing her lips, Chloé scanned the table. No one budged. No one apologized. No one even flinched in their unyielding looks of disdain for the teen. Throwing her arms up in defeat, Chloé screamed her frustration and stormed off. Ladybug couldn't quite catch what Chloé was muttering as she left, but she was certain it wasn't anything she wanted to hear anyway.

"Please, please take a seat." Mayor Bourgeois pulled out two seats and practically plopped Ladybug and Chat Noir into them. Once the superheroes were seated, the mayor motioned for the lords to also take their seats. He then motioned for the whole dining room to get back to their dinners before finally sitting down himself.

"I'm really sorry about this," Chat Noir whispered with pangs of guilt.

"It's okay." Ladybug wanted to blame him. He should have known better than to trust the mayor. He should have expected something like this to happen. She knew she did. At the same time, though, this wasn't his fault at all. He had trusted the man, and that was one of his most endearing traits: his faith in people. This whole thing was on Mayor Bourgeois; not Chat Noir.

The mayor clapped, and his wait staff filed into the kitchen. "Now, for starters, we'll be having Marinette soup, a recipe provided by a master chef all the way from China." The mayor puffed out his chest as if he had personally discovered Cheng Shifu.

The Bourgeois family truly were exhausting, but it was still a sense of pride for Ladybug that her great-uncle's soup was so beloved that the mayor would use it as an opening dish while hosting some of his most esteemed guests. Not only that, but Ladybug truly grasped how amazing the prize was to have one's dish added to the Grand Paris' restaurant menu. People all over the world – important people – could taste her great-uncle's recipe. She was the namesake of a soup that could have international renown much broader than China and France. The reality of it all finally started to sink in, and Ladybug beamed.

A few seconds later, the wait staff came back out of the kitchen, the whole brigade carrying two bowls of soup each. Like a finely tuned machine, they fluidly moved to the tables and placed the soup down as one unit. With refined bows, they all turned on their heels and headed back to the wall beside the kitchen, awaiting their next orders.

Amazed by the pristine training the workers in the hotel clearly received, it kept Ladybug an extra beat before she refocused on her dinner. The whole night might have been a social disaster, but at least she'd be able to enjoy the soup another time. She had tried to recreate it before, after her great-uncle showed her and Adrien how to make it. Hers never seemed to come out quite right though.

She quickly stirred the opaque, purple creamy soup, and reflected fondly on trying it for the first time with Adrien.

_I'm gonna miss hanging out at school._ Adrien's words from earlier echoed in her head, and she silently squealed. Lost in her memories, she drank a spoonful of soup.

"Aaaaah!" The lord to her right leapt out of his chair as he screamed and fanned at his mouth. There was a loud squeak of chair legs on marble as the lord across from Ladybug did the same: scream, leap from his chair, and fan his mouth. More squeaking as the rest of the table also leapt from their chairs, crying out in pain and fanning their mouths.

"Wh-" Ladybug gasped. Her eyes watered, sweat gathered on her brow, her face got warm, and her tongue and throat felt like they were on fire. The room got blurry, and it hurt to breathe, each inhale singing her throat and sinuses further. Using both hands, she began furiously fanning her tongue.

All around them, the entire dining room followed suit. The only exception was Chat Noir, who whipped around in his seat with confusion finely etched across his face.

"Careful, my lords." Chloé emerged from the kitchen, cackling. "I believe the soup is hot." She examined her nails as she walked up to the table and placed an empty shaker of one of the world's spiciest ground peppers on the table.

"Seriously?" Chat Noir squawked. He stared Chloé down as he reached for the large pitcher of water left on the center of the table and passed it over to a fumbling Ladybug.

She blinked enough tears out of her eyes to see the offering and snatched it from her partner's hands. Leaning her head back, she gulped as much water down as possible without drowning herself. None of it helped. She felt like she was burning, and she twitched in pain, uncaring as water sloshed out of the pitcher and dribbled down her front.

Like predators hearing their prey, the lords swarmed, all ten of them wrestling her for the pitcher. She was strong, though, and held firmly as she tried to continue to drink. The wrestling match didn't let up, and in the scramble the second half of the ice-cold water was tipped completely down her front. A small dribble of excess water was one thing, but the full wave of ice water – complete with ice cubes – hitting at once startled her enough to jump away from the men towering over her.

Undeterred by the fact that their relief was now on the floor, the men all flung themselves onto the marble to scoop up the ice cubes and shove them into their mouths to sooth their tongues and throats. Some of them sighing with faint relief. Meanwhile, Chloé bent over in laughter.

"Chloé!" Mayor Bourgeois yelled in the most irritated and stern voice Ladybug ever heard from the sleazy but otherwise meek man.

Chat Noir held up his cloth napkin for his partner to dry herself off with. "Ladybug, are you oka-"

"I'm fine!" Ladybug didn't mean to snap at Chat Noir, but she was in pain, and it wouldn't be very heroic if she punched Chloé. She'd just have to apologize for being so harsh with him later.

Clearly Chloé had added the spice to the full pot of soup, and not just to the bowls destined for Ladybug's table, because the whole room descended into chaos as people battled over water. Pitchers were knocked over, and puddles sprung up by every table. In a mad dash for the ice cubes, people slipped and slid across the slick floor. Shocked into action, the wait staff sprinted into the kitchen and rushed back out with large glasses of thick buttermilk. As fast as they were able, they passed the milk to the guests. Some weren't patient, though, and milk was added to the already slippery floor. As the wait staff raced for more milk they skated across the slick surface, slamming into tables as they went.

Heaving a long and anguished sigh, Chat Noir slammed his head on the table before him. There really wasn't a way of coming back from this night.

_Alright, forget about being polite. This is insane._ Ladybug tugged on Chat Noir's belt around his waist to get him to stand up. Before he could react, she wrapped her arm around him, hooked a pillar with her yo-yo, and swung them over the sliding crowd and to the restaurant doors. Landing in front of the large double doors, she grabbed Chat Noir's hand and pulled him out into the hallway. They ran to one of the windows, threw it open, and leapt out into the night.

"Ladybug, I-"

She held up a hand to still him. "Look, Chat, I can't really see, and I'm in pain. I'm going to need you to get me something cold and creamy to help sooth my mouth."

"There's André the Sweetheart's-"

"Nice try, Kitty," she wheezed before coughing on her dry throat, "but I'm not eating his ice cream with you. Besides, it will take too long to track him, if he's even out in this weather." She broke into a coughing fit as she struggled to breathe through the burn.

"I-uh-have some Camembert I keep on me to charge up Plagg."

Ladybug scrunched her face, a bit appalled at the thought of eating the cheese. Especially if it was kept at body temperature in his pocket. The cheese would be extra gooey. Ladybug shuddered. At the same time, though, it wasn't like she'd actually be able to taste the Camembert, and the creaminess of it could possibly help coat her tongue.

"What about your kwami though? Won't he need it once you detransform?"

"I have plenty at home. Here. It's the least I could do after everything. I'm so, so sorry, Ladybug. I didn't mean-"

It was Ladybug's turn to pause Chat Noir with a simple finger to his lips. "This wasn't you. It wasn't the most brilliant move to try to eat here, but other than that, it wasn't your fault." Another coughing fit cut her off. Her mouth and throat were too dry and too on fire to keep going. Pinching her nose, she snatched the cheese from Chat Noir's outstretched hand, and dropped it on her tongue. She then pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to smoosh and spread the cheese as much as possible.

She was wrong about not being able to taste it.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Chat Noir. I- I just-" she tried not to gag as her throat exploded in flames again. "I'm sorry, I've got to go."

"Will you be able to make it home alright?"

"Mmhmm," she whimpered, "sure. I gotta go!" She lassoed one of the window balconies of the hotel and swung around the building. It was a simple enough run home. The hardest part was getting herself on top of the terraced homes circling the Place des Vosges in the first place. Once she did that, it was just a matter of running across the roof until she reached her balcony.

Dropping onto her bed, she released her transformation. "Tikki," she squeaked, "Help." The tired kwami zipped through the floorboards then flew right back.

"All clear, Marinette. You can raid the kitchen."

Marinette gladly complied. She just hoped her parents wouldn't wonder where half a jug of milk, a pint of ice cream, and a jar of peanut butter vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also had to change up some of the blocking from the original story, but the vast majority of this chapter is the same. I also had to figure out some sort of resolution for the Adrienette subplot I stumbled into.
> 
> Wonder how Prince Ali would feel knowing his lords are trying to strongarm Ladybug into dating him...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to the home stretch! Ladybug's gift for Chat Noir is nearly set, but can her kitty FINALLY manage to gift her something he's proud of?

Ladybug crouched perched atop the Grand Paris hotel. She shuddered just recalling what happened there the day before, but that was precisely why she was there again.

Christmas morning was one of the busiest for her parents, which meant an early night on Christmas Eve. It also meant extra time for Ladybug to finish getting Chat Noir's present ready while also sticking to her patrol schedule.

Psyching herself up, she dropped to the street and entered the hotel.

The meeting with Mayor Bourgeois took exhaustingly longer than intended, but doing so solidified Ladybug's plan for Chat Noir's gift. Next up was an equally tiring chat with the ten Lords of Achoo. After a long, one-way negotiation about how many dates Ladybug would go on with Prince Ali (she refused to participate), they finally agreed to help with Chat Noir's surprise, in hopes it would butter Ladybug up enough to consent to the match.

As Ladybug finished giving them the details on what they needed to do, her yo-yo beeped. Quickly excusing herself for a moment, she stepped away to check on the message.

 _Emergency. Come quick. Not much time left._ Ladybug's heart thudded loudly as she stared at Chat Noir's text and the attached coordinates.

"I'm sorry," Ladybug frantically closed her yo-yo and rushed to the window, barely looking at the lords as she crossed the room. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you."

She didn't wait for a response. She couldn't. Chat Noir said he didn't have much time. She leapt into the night and swung as fast as she could to get to him.

 _What happened? Is he hurt? Is he dying? How could he get that hurt while powered up? Did Hawk Moth find him? Did an akuma capture him? How did she not know there was danger?_ Thoughts of her broken Chat Noir dressed in a white supersuit with matching hair and icy blue eyes pushed her faster as she looked for her partner.

Below. He was in the alleyway, leaning against a wall. His hair was still blonde. His costume still black. Every couple seconds he'd check the screen on his stick. The rest of the time he was scanning the rooftops. Ladybug dropped in front of him and quickly verified that they were safe in Chat Noir's hide-away.

"What is it, Chat? What's the emergency?"

His eyes got wide as he checked his stick once more, then darted his glance back at her. "We need to hurry, my lady!" He quickly attached his stick to the small of his back before unzipping his right pocket and pulling out two theater tickets. His fearful facade slipping slightly, he held the tickets up to Ladybug's confusion. "These expire in an hour!"

"Wait. What?" Ladybug blinked at him. He was able to track an akuma down at a theater and they needed tickets?

"I told you it was an emergency," Chat Noir said playfully. He picked up his tail and began spinning it. "Could you imagine the tragedy if these went to waste?"

Ladybug's jaw went slack. She was in a full blown panic over _tickets?_ She punched him in the arm. Not hard enough to actually hurt him, but enough to get the message.

 _"That's_ your emergency?" she demanded, fighting back tears, "Expiring theater tickets? Are you _kidding me?_ I thought you had been captured by an akuma or something! I was frantic!"

Chat Noir sharply inhaled, fully feeling the gravity of what he did. His cat ears and tail drooped, and he nearly dropped the tickets as his arms also hung loose.

"Sorry. That was supposed to be funny. I never meant to scare you. I just-" he scratched the back of his head, and only stole quick glances at Ladybug to gauge how mad she was. "With how disastrous last night went, I- I was worried you might not show up if I had just asked-"

Heaving out her anger with him, Ladybug cupped Chat Noir's face to make him look at her. "Kitty, I told you last night that wasn't your fault."

Chat Noir reluctantly moved her hands away and took a step back. "I feel like it was. I should have been more careful. I've done nothing but embarrass you and put you in awkward situations these past few days, and I'm sorry. But let me make it up to you today." He held up the tickets as if they'd shield him from her. "I got us these tickets to see this fancy new show. They're called The Eleven Pipping Pipers, and I thought you might, I dunno, want to check them out?"

Ladybug mentally chuckled. _How is he not seeing the Twelve Days of Christmas connection? Is he doing this on purpose now?_ It was sweet, and becoming increasingly amusing, but she still wasn't positive it was the smartest move.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea? Last night, when we went out in public, we ended up being hounded. And look where being recognized in public got us while we went shopping at the Christmas market."

"Ah! Fear not, my lady, for I have thought of everything!" He walked over to a bag a little further down the wall he had been leaning on. Rummaging though it, he stood back up proudly holding an elegant gown and large-brimmed silk hat. "Ta-da!"

"Umm?" Ladybug cocked her head to the side as she accepted the offerings. She held up the dress, and even with her hands above her shoulders, the skirt draped down to her feet and rolled like a carpet out before her. It was clearly meant for a woman a good thirty centimeters taller than her.

 _Doesn't he realize I'm_ shorter _than him?_

She quirked an eyebrow as she held the dress up in front of her for him to see. He awkwardly laughed and gave her a shrug. He then buttoned up a black dress shirt he had slid over his superhero suit. It looked a bit broad in the shoulders, and the sleeves needed to be too wide in order for his bracers to slide through. Other than that though, it did look like it mostly fit. Once Chat Noir slid on the tuxedo pants (again, a touch too large so the legs could accommodate his boots) and tucked in his belt tail and the button-down shirt he almost looked presentable.

Ladybug again gestured at the dress to draw his attention to how incredibly large it was going to be on her, especially in comparison to his tux on him.

"Maybe it'll start a new fashion trend?" he ventured as he adjusted his green ascot to try to hide his costume's bell.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," she grumbled. With a huff, she snaked her way inside the tent of a dress. Not only was it meant for a woman much taller than her, but it was also clearly intended for someone much curvier. The front sagged like badly hung curtains. The waist line wrapped below her hips. She nearly tripped a couple of times as she took some test walks in the dress. This clearly wasn't going to work. She again narrowed her eyes at him as she pursed her lips.

"Of course, we could always just go to the theater together as our civilian selves. That would save us from people recognizing our superhero forms." Chat Noir winked at her. He was promptly smacked over the head with the large formal hat he had provided Ladybug. "Ah, okay! Okay!" he chuckled as he tucked for cover.

"Nice try, Kitty." She stuck out her tongue and plopped the hat on her head. With a sigh, she looked herself over best she could without a mirror. She didn't need a reflection to know she looked ridiculous. The elegant red dress Chat Noir provided her was sleeveless, so her arms were still fully exposed: red spandex with black spots and all. The plunging neckline, with no chest to hold it where it was supposed to be, sagged nearly down to her navel, which meant the chest and back of her supersuit was also on full display. The outfit did nothing to hide that she was Ladybug and did everything to make her look like a seven-year-old playing dress-up in her mother's clothes. All she needed was the high heels five sizes too big and a clutch filled with crayons to complete the look.

She was a fashion designer though. There had to be a way to get the dress to fit. She tried sliding her head through the arm hole instead so the dress would drape like a single-shoulder gown, but the hole was too small for her head to fit. She then tried dropping the one strap down to be an off-shoulder dress, but it draped well past her elbow in order to keep the neck line where it should be. It also didn't hide her superhero costume's sleeves any better. There were no clothespins or safety-pins anywhere in the area that she could borrow to try to bundle up the excess fabric. She also didn't have a way of making a straight cut along the hem, otherwise she could have easily made the excess skirt into a shrug to help hide the upper portion of her suit. Chat Noir also neglected any evening gloves to help hide her hands and arms.

Ladybug spent the better part of ten minutes looking around the alley, sliding the hat and dress off to inspect the possibilities, and then awkwardly trying to put them back on in inventive ways to try to hide more of her costume, or at least lift the hem off the ground.

"I'm sorry, Kitty, but this isn't going to work."

Pouting, he took her hand and gave her a little spin. Of course, she tripped as the long hem tangled around her legs, but thankfully he was there to catch her. Blushing a little, he instantly righted her on her feet and stepped back, giving her finger guns. In doing so, his eyes drifted to the cuffs his tuxedo jacket sliding over his knuckles. Chuckling, he slid the jacket off.

"Here ya go." He draped the jacket over her shoulders and waved for her to slide her arms into the sleeves.

The cuffs nearly reached her finger tips. It was certainly one way to hide her supersuit-covered hands, but it was also quite awkward. She rolled up the excess in perfectly creased folds. The silk lining of the jacket was a lovely accent, and with the combination of red dress with black tuxedo jacket, her gloved hands were less obvious. Besides, she could easily hide her hands somehow. As for her chest, she could pretend to be cold and pull the jacket tight around her to cover up her upper body. It wasn't the worst idea, but considering how large the jacket was on Chat Noir, Ladybug could only imagine she appeared even more like a seven-year-old, except now it looked like she rummaged through Daddy's closet as well as Mommy's.

That mental image was all but confirmed as Chat Noir struggled to not laugh.

 _Is it too late to offer to go home and put on my own clothes over my costume, and then meet him at the theater?_ That probably wasn't any better of an idea than what Chat Noir had already offered her. Especially since most of her clothes were Marinette Originals, and she couldn't chance him noticing that. Seemed like she was as ready for a night at the theater as she'd ever be. She shrugged submission over her outfit.

Placing a fedora over his cat ears, Chat Noir tucked one arm behind his back and deeply bowed at the waist. "My lady." With a graceful swoop, he held out his hand for her.

She was hesitant, but accepted his hand. He stood up and shifted so his arm was laced through hers. He then elegantly waved his free arm before them, "Shall we?"

Despite herself, she giggled. They probably looked insane, but Chat Noir deserved a nice night out. Who cares if they had some of the goofiest outfits on? It's not like it was going to shine badly on the future Marinette brand. Seems having a secret identity wasn't protecting her only from Hawk Moth.

She bustled the skirt of her oversized dress in her fist and gave her partner a nod. They took three steps before she halted, unhooking her arm from his.

"Oh, wait! I forgot something!"

Chat Noir cocked his head to the side. Ladybug wound up and jabbed him in the arm. Just like earlier, it was more to get her point across than to actually harm him. "Don't you _dare_ pull another stupid stunt like faking an emergency again!"

He rubbed his shoulder where she hit him. Ladybug hoped it was for show and that she didn't actually bruise him.

"Yeah. Sorry. That was stupid. I promise I won't do that again."

"Good," she huffed before scooping her dress skirt back up in her hand and threading her arm back through his. "Then let's go to the theater, shall we?"

Proudly puffing out his chest and stupidly grinning ear-to-ear, Chat Noir tipped his fedora and escorted her to the theater. As they approached the building they pulled their hats down lower so the shadow would hide their masks. They had lucked out, and the lobby was fairly quiet outside of a few ushers talking amongst themselves. Most of the other patrons were already seated and awaiting the start of the show.

Walking up to one of the ushers, Chat Noir turned to gaze lovingly at Ladybug. It startled her for a moment, but then she realized that it would explain away why he wasn't looking at the usher while addressing him. She played along, leaning into Chat Noir's shoulder so both of their hats would block the usher's view of her mask. The act threw Chat Noir off for a beat.

"To hide our masks, Kitty. Just keep looking at me," she whispered.

"Gladly," he sighed.

Not looking at the usher, Chat Noir wordlessly handed over their tickets. The man seemed a bit weirded out by these two children in oversized clothes coming alone to a theater production, but they did have tickets, so he quickly ripped them and verbally directed them where to go.

Chat Noir had managed to get balcony seats. As he pulled Ladybug along through the theater and up the stairs, she hoped that would mean they would be far from the rest of the crowd, and it would be easier to stay incognito. Not that they were very inconspicuous in those get-ups anyway.

They again lucked out: their seats were in the front row of the balcony, right up against the banister. They would get an excellent view of the stage, but were still tucked away enough to (hopefully) not draw much attention. As they slid past the other theater goers in order to reach their seat, the house lights dimmed and the stage lights began to rise. They had made it just in time for the show to start.

A single player came out with an Irish tin whistle and started off with a jaunty Irish jig, keeping beat with a stomp of his foot, encouraging the audience to clap along. As the audience began clapping, three more pipers joined in with their own tin whistles of varying length to add a little harmony to their tone. The remaining seven members of the troupe emerged from backstage, clapping above their heads to help the audience to keep rhythm. As the song swelled, the seven clapping pipers began to play. A few more bars in, all eleven pipers started step dancing around the stage. Behind them, the lights rose and a man by a large bass drum began beating on it to count every fourth beat. Then two more band members joined in with ukuleles. It really got the audience hyped, and truly blew Ladybug away. She had never experienced music like this.

Throughout the night the pipers shifted cultures from the Irish tin whistle to the Scottish bagpipes – who would have known that the bagpipes could actually sound good? - to the American fife to the Native American flute to the Australian Aboriginal digeridoo to the Greek pan flute and finally to the Japanese Shakuhachi. It was a glorious global tour of piping. The music flowed from upbeat to soothing, and just before intermission, the music was so calming Ladybug couldn't help but simply lean back in her chair, close her eyes, and fully immerse herself in the music.

She nearly fell asleep when she got the feeling she was being watched. She popped open her left eye, and, sure enough, Chat Noir was staring dreamily at her. She shifted in her chair so she was sitting upright again.

"Chat Noir? Are you okay?"

That bolted him from his daydreaming. His cheeks flushed and he gave that goofy wide grin he always had when she caught him doing something.

"Oh, I- erm- I have to, uh, go to the bathroom, and I, uh, I can't get past you?"

"Oh! Umm, Oh-kay?" He was really going to go with a bathroom excuse? She had caught him sniffing her before! It's not like it was the creepiest thing he had done around her. It was just the creepiest thing he'd done in a real long while. "Don't you want to wait until the intermission? It should be soon."

"Nope. It's really urgent." For good measure, Chat Noir crossed his legs and started bouncing them.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and stood up so he could sneak past her, despite there being more than enough room between their seats and the banister. After he shuffled past, Ladybug retook her seat to enjoy the rest of the show. She hoped Chat Noir would use his ruse to at least compose himself before getting back. Shaking her head, she glanced over to watch her partner leave, and saw him trip over a gentleman's foot. He stumbled backwards and began to topple over the banister.

"Chat!" Flinging herself out of her chair and over the patrons sitting beside her, Ladybug dove to save him, her massive hat fluttering to the floor. The two reached out for each other, but all Chat Noir could catch was the folded cuff of the baggy tuxedo jacket. As he continued to fall, he pulled the jacket up and over Ladybug's head, spinning her slightly in the process. She couldn't turn fast enough to grab hold of the jacket as Chat Noir continued to fall into the audience members below. She went to grab her yo-yo, but it was tucked under the ginormous dress. In a fluid motion, she shrugged the dress off, and unhooked her yo-yo.

She went to throw it over the banister to catch her partner, only to see him already dangling from his stick, which he had wedged into a light fixture to halt his fall. His stick jostled him a little as it shook off his momentum, causing his fedora to flutter down onto a woman below him. She looked up, along with a bunch of other audience members around her. Meanwhile, the balcony Ladybug was on was also abuzz after watching a man fall over the balcony. The commotion stopped the performance, and the house lights were brought back up, fully exposing that Ladybug and Chat Noir were in the audience.

The room fell silent. Ladybug froze. Chat Noir gave an uneasy chuckle and waved as he continued to hang from his stick. Watching her partner, Ladybug couldn't help but facepalm and softly groan.

"It's Ladybug and Chat Noir!" someone from the audience yelled. The room erupted in gasps, murmurs, and hoots for the superheroes, but also a bunch of questions about why Chat Noir was in a tux and dangling from the balcony seats.

The audience near Ladybug in the balcony swarmed her with questions about why they were there, as well as requests for selfies and autographs.

"Chat Noir!"

He flung himself up onto his stick and ran towards her awaiting arms. Another leap, and he caught her hand. She swung him up over the balcony, then quickly lassoed his stick and whipped it back to her hand.

"Here." She handed him his stick, then wrapped her arm around his waist. He draped his arms around her neck, and she latched onto the light fixtures to swing them over the audience and through the doors to the lobby. The two then dashed out of the theater and back into the alley they had met up at.

A mob raced past the alley, missing them. Ladybug felt guilty that they directed attention from the pipers, let alone stole the audience from them. She hoped everyone would settle down, realize how silly they were acting, and return to the theater post-intermission.

"That was close," Ladybug sighed as she watched the alleyway entrance clear. When Chat Noir didn't respond, she turned. His back was towards her. His cat ears were drooped, and his head hung. His shoulders were hunched, his arms stiff at his sides, and his hands balled up in fists, one of them holding the button-down shirt he had ripped off at some point.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug took a cautious step. "Is everything okay?" She knew the answer, but didn't know how else to breech the subject.

"I'm fine," Chat Noir snapped. He hadn't moved a muscle to face her.

"Clearly you're not." She took another step and reached out her hand to him. She caught his shoulder blade, but he rolled it away.

"All I wanted to do was give you a really nice gift this Christmas. I wanted to do something special for you. _But no!"_ He quickly wiped the trail of tears off his cheek. "The universe hates me! All I've done is get us into trouble and put us in embarrassing situations!"

Ladybug softly moaned in sympathy. Her heart broke for her kitten. She knew he was putting this pressure on himself and she couldn't find a way to tell him to stop. "Chat Noir, listen-"

"I don't even know why you put up with me," he yelled. Realizing how loud he got, he lowered his voice, but the intensity was still there. "I'm nothing but a failure and a joke." He tossed the shirt to the side and hugged himself tight.

"Chat-"

He shook his head and took a step away from her, still not ready to hear anything she said. Sniffling back more tears, his voice softened. "Happy Christmas, Ladybug. I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything special."

"But-"

"I suppose the best gift I can give you now is to leave you alone." He extended his stick.

"No! Chat Noir, wait!" It was too late. He had already taken off, yet again. Ladybug slumped against the brick and rubbed her eyes. Everything had become so draining that Christmas season. Nothing could go right for her partner, and nothing could be simple for her. At least she knew her next step. Pushing off of the wall, she made her way back to the theater.

* * *

It was a bit of a feat to navigate her way to The Eleven Piping Pipers, and even more so to apologize for interrupting their show the way they did. Eventually, she did smooth things over with the musicians. Using the last of her charm, she convinced them to help her out with her gift to Chat Noir. She jotted down instructions and a meet-up time, then left them to get some rest after an eventful evening.

The next few hours were spent placing the final pieces together. Everything had to be _perfect_ for Chat Noir. She would accept nothing less for her partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to do some reworking of some of the blocking again in this chapter, and shift some dialogue/add dialogue, but it's again still about 90% how Taurus Pixie described it in her story.
> 
> I also had an excuse to listen to a variety of pipe music (mostly Irish tin whistle) while working on this chapter. Score!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it! Final chapter! Only kept me *checks calendar* an extra month to get this story done. *sigh*
> 
> This chapter was the worst. Over a week of trying to get it to form. I must have at least 7 revisions of this chapter alone. It has a LOT of original stuff in the opening that I just could NOT get sorted out. I'm pretty sure I got it now though. So, thank you, for taking this journey with me.

Chaos. Ladybug had created chaos. She had unknowingly welcomed chaos into the city. She didn't fully grasp what it would actually look like to have the entirety of _The Twelve Days of Christmas_ on display.

Chaos. That's what it looked like.

The Eleven Piping Pipers tuned up their bagpipes in a long, low braying hum. The song-bird specialist was cooing to the four blackbirds she had borrowed, and made sure she had enough treats to reward them for their showcase. The boat renter from the one park Chat Noir took Ladybug to was talking to his fellow conversationalists about the best way to keep all of the water fowl content. Meanwhile, the swans honked away their part of the discussion.

Off to the side, the animal rights activist was trying to keep the Faverolles chickens from pecking at the eight farmers and their cows. Luckily, the ladies knew exactly how to handle the chickens, and the bovine seemed unfazed. Ladybug was glad to see the hens were already looking a little healthier, and definitely livelier. However, as she passed by the livestock, she subconsciously adjusted the satchel she was wearing that night, making sure to keep it safe in case the hens decided to turn on her or the cows stampeded again. Resting the small box inside the satchel on her hip to keep it steady, Ladybug continued to make her way through the crowd forming in front of City Hall.

Easily five-dozen people bustled up and down the road as they put the finishing touches on the six gorgeous floats Mayor Bourgeois provided. They were completely decked out with Christmas lights and independent sound systems. One was even a boat on a trailer with garlands draped around its bow. Ladybug was delightfully surprised by how quickly the mayor was able to find enough floats, and how beautifully they were decorated. He truly did put in some effort for this project.

Off on one of the side streets, around forty more people stood ready; long, thick rope in hand as another ten people worked on inflating the Chat Noir parade balloon commissioned for Heroes' Day. The balloon handlers only had a few hours to practice controlling the balloon in all sorts of weather, as well as coordinate turning the city corners. Unsure they would be fully prepared, Ladybug was jittery, and the crowd was equally electric with nerves. However, there was also an excitable energy as they all awaited the moment Chat Noir would see them parading his balloon around the city streets.

Ladybug continued navigating her way around the crowd, both attempting to help coordinate the masses, as well as look busy enough to avoid the Lords of Achoo as much as possible. The place was abuzz with anticipation, and it got Ladybug antsy as well.

"So, is everyone set? You're the ones kicking this whole thing off." She walked up to a drumline twelve semi-professionals strong. They were a multi-award winning line from a nearby university that had jumped at the chance to showcase their talents for none other than one of the Heroes of Paris. Each member was smartly dressed in blue and red uniforms paired with finely polished black shoes, pristine white gloves, and a blue cavalier hat adorned by a long, red plume. Their drum major's uniform also had aiguillettes draped from his shoulders to single him out.

Smiling at Ladybug, the drum major turned to his line. "Drummers!" he shouted, "Are we ready?"

They all beat a single note on their drums while giving out a loud, deep, guttural bark.

"I said," the drum major shouted again, "Are. We. Ready?"

They barked twice in quick succession to count out their beat, then all twelve drummers rapidly played a thirty-second set. They rattled off beats from their own drums before twirling their sticks and playing a few beats off of their neighbor's drum. They then barked once more before tossing one of their sticks in the air, and spun before catching it again. As they finished their rotations, they all played a loud beat and barked one last time.

The drum major silently turned back to Ladybug and gave a grand bow; arms extended to the side to showcase his line behind him.

"Wow!" Ladybug applauded. "He's going to love this!" She then directed them towards the front of her parade. The pipers lined up behind; the two groups already coordinating how their instruments would best compliment each other.

Ladybug then checked in on the nine cosplaying dancers. They were either stretching out or walking each other through the choreography again. Instead of Ladybug doppelgangers, all nine were dressed as Chat Noir. Ladybug was amazed by the quality of their costumes. She thought they looked even better than the Ladybug ones they were wearing when she met them. They even went so far as to have professional-grade blonde wigs cut in Chat Noir's signature shag, and had them firmly pinned into place to withstand the acrobatics of their performance.

Ladybug lead them to their float. It was a large stage with different elevated portions for them to leap on to, off of, and over. For that night's performance, they traded elegant yo-yo twirling for energetic staff tumbling using bo staffs designed to look like Chat Noir's extended stick. They just needed one last rehearsal of the choreography now that they had their stage, and a quick test run of the sound system. Then they would be good to go.

Nodding approval, Ladybug moved on to the eight farmers. They had just walked the cows into their long, caged float, and were feeding them to keep them calm. As they saw Ladybug approach they gave thumbs up.

Ladybug walked up to the woman who owned Eva the cow. "Thank you," she said, holding out a hand to shake.

The woman leaned down off the float and accepted Ladybug's hand. "Not a problem. We're excited to be able to help out with this."

"Well, I wouldn't have even thought to put all of this together if you hadn't offered to help me with cheering up Chat Noir. So, again, thank you." Nothing else needed to be said between the women, and Ladybug continued down her parade line-up.

The boat was the next float. A large tank was placed on the front of the deck for the swans to swim around in. The water was warmed to make it more welcoming in the cold winter air, and the boat renter had a large bin of feed to keep the swans interested in staying put during the parade. At the stern of the boat, six nesting boxes were set up for the geese to comfortably roost. They each calmly honked at each other as they continued to warm their eggs. Despite the lack of aggression, Ladybug still jumped at the honking, and rushed to the next float.

"How'd the training go?" Ladybug called up to the song-bird specialist. It was a fairly small float compared to the others, but it didn't need to be terribly large. The specialist had a cage nearly as tall as her for the four blackbirds; giving them plenty of room to flit around and perch. A microphone was placed low enough from the cage to not distract the birds, but still close enough to pick up on their lovely tweeting as they sung to each other. Ladybug was glad none of them were screeching. That magnified by a microphone would be borderline torture.

"Training actually went a lot smoother than expected." With a mildly cocky smirk, the woman turned towards the cage and whistled at the birds. The blackbirds sung back the simple melody the woman whistled, then gladly accepted the treats she offered them. "Any song requests?" she joked.

Before Ladybug could answer, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Ladybug." One of the Lords of Achoo bowed low. "Where might you want us?"

Nearly all of her other prep-work was complete, so Ladybug escorted the tall man back to the other lords, then instructed them to climb onto the first float in her fleet; spaced far enough behind the pipers to be able to fit the Chat Noir balloon in between them. Mayor Bourgeois made sure it was the most elegant out of all the floats. Each of the lords had their own mock-throne to sit upon, should their feet get tired during the parade. Wrapped around their thrones were banisters, to make it look like each lord had his own private balcony to greet the citizens from. Everything was painted gold and silver, with white twinkling lights everywhere to add to the glamour.

After the lords all took their seats, Ladybug excused herself and hurried back to the final float of the parade; preemptively avoiding further questions, which would have most likely been centered around Prince Ali. Much like the blackbirds' float, the final one was a very modest size compared to the opening four. The float was caged in, just like the one for the cows, and the surface was carpeted with turf for the hens to peck at. The animal rights activist had herded the chickens inside already, and sprinkled some corn kernels down to keep them fed and occupied while they waited. As Ladybug approached, the man finished fixing a branch he found into a lower portion of the cage to give some of the hens a perch.

"They're looking much happier now," she told the activist.

"They do!" he gleefully replied, "And it's all thanks to Chat Noir that they were able to find a new lease on life. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to thank him."

"I was actually coming over to thank _you_ for helping me with this surprise."

The two briefly chatted for a moment more before Mayor Bourgeois interrupted.

"The parade balloon is fully inflated, and the four-hundred individual balloons are also ready to be handed out. We're awaiting your signal." The mayor then leaned in closer to Ladybug, "And, please, let us be quick about this. I would like to close out my Christmas evening at home."

"It looks like we're all set here too. Thank you again for helping me put all of this together. I know it's a lot to ask everyone to be away from their families right now. I'll try to get you home soon."

"Very well." Mayor Bourgeois waved for Ladybug to take the lead, and he followed her to the front of the parade.

The Chat Noir parade balloon handlers were navigating the massive balloon into their spot in the line-up. The ten people that were inflating the balloon earlier each had their own cart that they wheeled out to the parade line-up. The carts each had twenty black helium balloons and another twenty green balloons attached. She positioned them throughout the line-up so no one was ever too far from a balloon cart.

It was set. It was a bit more massive than she had intended, but Chat Noir deserved every bit of it. Puffing up her chest with a bit of pride, Ladybug set up an initial parade route, and sent the drummers on their way to lead everyone through Paris.

The commotion instantly brought people to their windows, and then out into the streets. As they did, Ladybug welcomed them to join the parade and cheer on her partner. She also instructed them to welcome any other citizens that come out to watch the parade as the group grew. Not even twenty minutes down their route, and the parade already gathered nearly fifty random marchers. Some even sprinted back into their homes to grab pots and pans and large metal spoons to bang and cheer. Others were handed either a black or a green balloon from the carts.

The parade well on its way, Ladybug swung over to Alya's apartment.

"L-Ladybug? What are you doing here?"

"Merry Christmas, Alya. I just wanted to give you a heads up for the Ladyblog." Ladybug then quickly explained her Christmas gift to Chat Noir, and told Alya that she purposefully directed the parade route to go past her apartment. "If it hasn't slowed down, it should be here in about five minutes." Right on cue, a melody of drums and bagpipes sounded in the distance. Alya's little sisters sprinted to the balcony to check out where the music was coming from.

"So cool!" Alya squealed, "Thanks for the scoop, Ladybug! Did you want to say anything to introduce the live stream?"

"Nah, that's alright." Ladybug backed away, waving Alya off, and hoping her blush was too faint to see under her mask. "I should go find Chat Noir. Have a merry Christmas, though." She then turned towards Alya's parents and older sister. "Merry Christmas to you, too!" With a wave, she was gone.

Perched up on a rooftop, she opened up her yo-yo and gave the news room a call about the parade as well. She knew Nadja Chamack would be devastated if she didn't also get footage for her report. The conversation went fairly similar to the one she just had with Alya. She had promised to send Mrs. Chamack the parade route so the news team had time to get ahead of it to set up.

Hanging up, Ladybug then checked her map. She figured, between the ruckus of the parade itself, and then Alya's report on the Ladyblog – which Chat Noir clearly frequented; if his use of Nino's song was any indication – and the local news also reporting; Chat Noir _had_ to know about the parade somehow. With any luck, he'd power up to watch it as his superhero persona. If he did that, then he would ping-

She didn't have to wait. Chat Noir's green paw print icon was already blinking in the corner of her screen. He was actually nowhere near the initial route Ladybug had set up.

_He's already powered up? Why?_

Ladybug quickly sent Mrs. Chamack a parade route that would pass right by where Chat Noir was. She then swung down to greet everyone who had joined in on the celebration before letting the drum major know his new route. He nodded understanding, and Ladybug slingshot herself back up onto the roofs of Paris.

The sun was setting by the time she made it to Chat Noir. The sky was a warm orange. People were turning on their Christmas lights around the city, filling it with a welcoming twinkle. The grass and trees still had a thin coating of snow to really make everything feel more Christmas-y. The whole scene would be a perfect postcard if it weren't for how lonely Chat Noir looked.

His one leg dangled from the edge of the roof, slowly kicking as he stared off in the distance. His chin nestled on his other knee, and his baton was in his hands, as if he were debating if he should leave. Ladybug moved to greet him, but then noticed his cat ears once more drooped against his head, and his tail limp behind him. She never understood what extra magic his costume possessed that allowed it to show his emotions, but it always did so perfectly.

_Does he want to be alone right now? Should I go to him?_ Ladybug studied her partner, hoping for a clue on what to do. She wanted to cheer him up with every ounce of her, but she also knew how sometimes people just needed their space. And she was marching a parade right to him!

Chat Noir loudly sighed, and hugged both knees close to his chest. Ladybug couldn't just leave him like that, but maybe he needed a quiet talk, or a wordless hug; not a huge party. She opened her yo-yo to try to re-direct the parade, but then saw Chat Noir's cat ears perk up.

His lips puckered in intrigue as he scanned the horizon; towards the sound of bass drums echoing off the buildings. His eyes widened, and a little bit of light seemed to return to them. The parade may have been exactly what he needed after all.

Ladybug ended up calling the parade regardless, a new idea coming to mind.

"Mayor Bourgeois? Can you ask everyone to let go of their green and black balloons please? You're only a few blocks away from Chat Noir. The drummers know where to go." Closing her yo-yo, Ladybug turned towards the parade route. A couple minutes later, a slow wave of black and green balloons floated into the air, and the crowd cheered; chanting Chat Noir's name. It sounded like nearly half of Paris had joined the route.

The parade turned the corner to get onto the street Ladybug and Chat Noir were on, and the ginormous, fluffy, yellow locks of Chat Noir's balloon came into view. Chat Noir's jaw went slack, and his eyes widened further as he watched the parade march nearer. His back straightened, and both legs dropped to again dangle over the edge of the building so he could have a better view. His hands fell to the roof, and his arms were stiff and long, anchoring him as he leaned a little forward; absorbing it all. Behind him, his belt-tail suddenly looked so light it barely brushed against the roof anymore.

Ladybug thumbed away the tears threatening to spill. Her heart swelled to see him so amazed by what he was watching. She almost didn't let him know she was there. It was everything to just watch him see how much he was loved. She could have done that the whole parade.

That wasn't the point though. The point was to make sure he knew how much she appreciated all of the attempts he had made that fortnight. While she would have been happy letting Chat Noir simply believe this was all Paris' doing to gift him something, she also needed him to know that it was from her and why.

She took off her satchel and tucked it away before clearing her throat to choke down her emotions. Steady, she took a step forward. "Hey, Kitty."

Chat Noir twitched with a start, then whipped his head around. Upon seeing her, he leapt onto his feet. "L-Ladybug?"

He seemed so flabbergasted. It was like watching him try to figure out how they were going to use one of her Lucky Charms. He truly was adorable when he was confused. Ladybug couldn't help but giggle.

"You didn't think I would forget to give my best friend a Christmas present, did you?" She casually walked up, then gave a subtle nod towards the parade.

Chat Noir's eyebrows scrunched, and his mouth parted into a little 'o'. He turned towards the parade, then back at Ladybug, then back to the parade. He repeated the move two more times. With a shaky hand, he pointed towards the parade balloon of himself.

"Y-you did all of this?" His voice cracked slightly in surprise.

Ladybug nodded. "I wanted to show my appreciation for everything you've done for me this year." She then gestured towards the individual floats. "Including all of your 'disasters' from this week." He flinched at the reminder, so she scooped up his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I wanted to show you that, even when things go wrong, or things look dire, I'll always care about you. I'll always want you by my side."

Ladybug took his other hand and slightly shook both to draw his attention to their connection. He looked down bewildered at their linked hands, then back up at her. She gave him a soft smile in reply. "I also wanted to thank you for being such an amazing partner to me. I couldn't have asked for a better Chat Noir. You truly are incredible, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Without you, I would still be a nervous, clumsy mess of a Ladybug. You have saved me countless times. In more ways than one."

Chat Noir gulped, and his fingers tightened around her hands. "Ladybug-" Her name hung in the air. Nothing else needed to be said in that moment. She offered him another smile, then tugged gently on his hands to turn him back to his perch. Letting go of one of his hands – and ignoring how his fingers twitched to try to grab hers again – she stood beside him and took a seat. He studied her for a brief moment, his face in complete awe, before he joined her.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they watched the parade march around the corner and make its way down the street below them. The large black peaks of balloon Chat Noir's cat ears bobbed by at eye level; the full, impressive length of the Heroes' Day parade balloon on display as it stretched the width of the building they were spectating from. Loud cheers echoed off the buildings around them, calling more and more people out of their homes to join in on the celebration. From some of the upper windows, instead of venturing out into the cold, crisp, Christmas night air, residents threw make-shift confetti and added their own cheers for the black-clad superhero.

_Here's hoping Lucky Charms can help restore Paris to pre-parade as well,_ Ladybug thought a bit absentmindedly.

Chat Noir's eyes welled up the louder the parade got. Finally, he dropped Ladybug's hand, and pivoted to look away from his gift.

"Chat Noir?"

"You didn't have to do all of this," he mumbled softly; nearly too soft for her to hear over the parade.

"Hey." She rested a hand on his back. Maybe gifting all of his 'failed' presents back to him wasn't the best idea after all. "I know I didn't need to do this, but I wanted to." She shifted her hand to his shoulder and tugged slightly, wordlessly pleading for him to turn around. "Chat Noir? What's wrong?"

"It's just-" His back hunched as he curled in on himself. "You've done all of this for me, and I couldn't even get you one nice gift." He sighed, his head hung low against his chest. "That's what these past few days have been about. I wanted to get you something, or do something for you, that was really special."

Ladybug chuckled. "I know. They were all wonderful, Chat Noir. Even when they went wrong."

"Wait." Chat Noir spun back to face her. "What?" He was looking at her like she just told him Master Fu was actually Hawk Moth.

"I could see that you were trying, Chat Noir, and it is the thought that counts." Ladybug playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "Besides, a lot of them ended up being rather amusing. Despite everything, I honestly had a lot of fun getting to just spend some more time with you."

His face softened, and his cheeks bloomed into a warm blush. Ladybug even caught the hint of a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. It didn't last long, though, and his expression quickly fell again.

"Yeah, but you still didn't get anything special." He growled his frustration, and stared at nothing just off to his side.

"Yes, you did." Without another word, Ladybug got up, and walked over to where she had placed her bag. Carefully, she carried it to Chat Noir. Sitting back down, she pulled the tall box out of her satchel, removed the lid and the stabilizing cardboard planks, and then daintily pulled out the tiny tree statuette Chat Noir had given to her twelve nights ago.

Stunned, Chat Noir watched as she unpacked his first gift to her. Just as Marinette had done a dozen times that past week, Chat Noir gingerly brushed the leaves of the tree with a knuckle. He then scooped up one of the heart ornaments with his claw before gently resting it back against the branch. His mouth slack, he stared deep into her eyes.

"Your first gift was perfect, and all I needed."

"But it was terrible!"

"No, it wasn't!" Ladybug defensively pulled the tree close and pouted. "It was adorable."

"But it broke!"

"So? It was easily fixable." To prove her point, Ladybug held the tree back out for him to see.

"S-so, all of that other stuff I did? I didn't need to do any of it?"

Ladybug giggled and shook her head. "Nope. In fact, you didn't even need to do this." She gestured with the tree. "You're the most amazing partner in the world. You in and of yourself are the perfect gift for me. Although, this is a pretty close second." She winked, and gave Chat Noir another little shoulder bump.

Her point made, Ladybug carefully tucked her little tree back into its box to protect it from any errant winds. It looked like Chat Noir needed a minute anyway. As she secured the lid on the box she heard Chat Noir gasp.

"Kitty? What is-"

Two lone pigeons soared over the celebrations below, making a bee-line straight for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Despite the dim lighting of the evening, Ladybug could still make out the orange turtle-shell pattern on their wings as they neared. It was the same two birds she had seen a little over a week ago. Except this time, Ladybug knew instinctively what they truly were.

_Two turtle doves,_ she sung in her head, _Could they really be anything else at this point?_

Just as they had done when Ladybug first saw them, theturtle doves buzzed by dangerously close to her head. The birds weren't even a meter above them when one dropped a wilted rose into Chat Noir's open hands.

Then the birds were gone, nothing left of them but a dying rose. And a massive sneeze from Chat Noir; knocking a couple more crimson petals off the rose.

Ladybug chuckled. The boy truly did have terrible luck with animals, didn't he?

"You okay?"

He sniffled, but then stared at the rose dropped into his hand. Peacefulness washed over him, and a smile again tugged at his mouth. It warmed Ladybug more than she realized it would.

"Well-" Chat Noir rolled the dethorned stem across his knuckles so he was holding the rose upside down. "It's not exactly mistletoe, but..." He let the sentence hang in the air as he held the rose over his head. Another petal fell loose and wafted down onto Chat Noir's forehead, getting caught in his shaggy bangs.

Sometimes it killed her how adorably dorky her partner was. Especially when he started ringing the rose like it was a little servant's bell, and exaggeratedly puckered out his lips. Ladybug couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles as she shook her head.

Then Chat Noir wiggled his eyebrows and gave a little whimper.

Ladybug leaned forward and plucked the rose petal from his hair, and combed her fingers through his bangs a little. She was so close to him. He instantly stopped, studying her instead. Ladybug became only vaguely aware of Chat Noir still holding the wilted rose over his head like a sprig of mistletoe, and the loose petal pinched between her fingers, and the fact that he no longer looked ridiculous with his eyebrow wiggling and puckered lips.

Instead, he looked lonely, and wanting, and oh-so hopeful.

Ladybug cherished this boy more than she could truly say. She would protect his happiness with all she had. She wanted to give him the perfect gift, and she knew then exactly how to do that. She was still in love with someone else, but, for the briefest of seconds, Adrien was forgotten.

She closed her eyes, and gave Chat Noir a quick peck on the lips, before abruptly pulling back and sliding a little further away from him.

They lingered for five long heartbeats. Then, slowly, the world returned. The citizens cheered. The drums pounded loudly. The bagpipes whaled. The blackbirds sang. The colorful confetti carpeted the sidewalk. Paris was awake and inviting. Ladybug couldn't have Chat Noir miss out on his own present.

She slid the little boxed tree statuette back into her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Confident it was safe and secure, she took Chat Noir's hand, stood, and pulled him up with her. "Come on. Let's go enjoy the party."

Still a bit dazed from their kiss – it was a peck; not that big of a deal – Chat Noir grinned ear to ear and gladly let her lead him. "Right behind you, Bugaboo."

She should have reminded him to not call her that. She didn't want to encourage him. Still, it felt wrong to correct him that one time. Instead, she smiled back at him and tightened her grip of his hand. "Merry Christmas, Kitty."

"Merry Christmas, my lady."

Trusting they would catch each other from any type of fall, they both jumped. Ready to enjoy their evening knowing they had both received the perfect gift; and gave it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made it! Fin~
> 
> Figuring out that parade was TOUGH, but I got there. I also had to do a lot of dialogue reworking and/or adding to this chapter, but, as per usual, about 80% of the LadyNoir scene is still how Taurus Pixie originally presented it.
> 
> I hope you all had enjoyed this story, and this massive update-dump (even if it did take over 12hrs to upload!). Just an FYI, if you want to leave a comment, but not want it to be public, you are welcome to send me a message. I'd love to know your thoughts.
> 
> Take care! Love you! And one last Merry Christmas to Pixie!

**Author's Note:**

> ~ Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. ~


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